and they were roommates, oh my god they were roommates
by lovesicksapphic
Summary: Regina finds her new roommate extremely annoying but she can't help the intense feelings that come on whenever she's around her, especially when she brings home other women. There's only one reasonable explanation. AKA the one where Emma is a so-called lesbian Casanova and Regina is deeply in denial and horrific at identifying her own emotions.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: this fic is completely inspired by this headline: article/straight-guy-worries-hes-homophobic-gay-roommate-ends-falling-love. Hope you enjoy!**

Their first encounter took Regina by surprise, something which she would soon learn was a common reaction to her interactions with Emma Swan. The brunette was hunched over her desk, trying not to tear her hair out over the painfully long texts she was required to read for her first seminar. A best of the eighties playlist was playing faintly from her laptop but she barely got to hear the opening line of Foreigner's iconic tune before there was a loud crash from the doorway of her dorm.

"Hi!" A female voice called.

Regina, recovering from her heart missing a beat or two, stood, arms folded and frown upon her face.

"And you are?"

The woman laughed and stepped into view, duffel bag slung across her shoulders.

"Emma. Your new roommate. Can I just-" She gestured towards the unoccupied side of the room.

Regina stepped aside, not taking her eyes off the woman, frown etched into her features.

"I was told you were arriving next week."

"Nice to meet you too." Emma chuckled, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear.

"Yes… well." Regina, evidently still startled, took a deep breath and extended her hand. "I'm Regina."

Emma looked at the outstretched hand and raised a brow. Regina retracted her hand with an awkward, tight smile and Emma grinned, shaking her head.

"You're an odd one, Regina."

"You met me two minutes ago."

"I'm a great judge of character, what can I say?" Emma smirked and then reached down to lift the heavy duffel onto her bed.

Regina's eyes followed the movement, a strange fluttering rising within her as the blonde's arms flexed. She couldn't deny that Emma was stunning and apparently toned beyond belief too. She quickly passed off those thoughts and the stirring in her chest, which only increased as the blonde stretched and revealed a sliver of firm abs, as annoyance. Obnoxious individuals prone to crashing about should not be blessed with attractiveness on that level. Annoyance. That was the only explanation.

And Emma Swan was quite the annoyance as Regina very quickly discovered. Within two weeks, there were clothes strewn all over the blonde's side of the room, crumbs everywhere, music blasting so loud in her earphones that she might as well just play it out loud. And there were the visitors. Constantly.

When there was a knock at the door for the second time in one afternoon, Regina sighed in frustration. It was irritating enough just being interrupted but this time, she would have to get up and greet their guest since Emma was out 'grocery shopping', which translated as picking up half a dozen donuts and a few beers. How she kept her figure, Regina would never understand. It was almost impressive. Those abs. Regina shook her head to dismiss those thoughts.

She walked over to the door and opened it to find a brunette girl hovering awkwardly, nervous smile upon her face.

"Emma's not here." Regina said, her tone somewhere between annoyed and bored. She moved to shut the door when the girl protested, quickly holding a hand out to stop the door slamming in her face.

"Hey! Wait, can I just-"

Regina rolled her eyes, not in the mood for being Emma's personal secretary.

"Yes?"

"Do you know how long Emma'll be?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. 10 minutes? 20?"

Regina regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She could already guess from the girl's sudden smile the question she was about to be asked. She should have said hours. Days even.

"Okay, cool. Is it okay if I wait inside then? Just for 10 minutes?"

Regina sighed, resigning herself to her fate. Entertaining one of Emma's many guests. Death by small talk.

"Sure."

The girl followed Regina inside and sat on what she presumed was Emma's chair when the brunette gestured towards it.

"So… are you a senior too? Like Emma?"

Regina stifled a groan. This was even more awful than she had anticipated.

"Yes, I am. And yourself?"

"Sophomore. What's your major?"

"English Literature."

"Me too! Emma's a Psychology major right? That sounds cool."

Regina nodded. She wondered how Emma seemed to have all these friends, apparently not even ones she took classes with. She didn't attend any societies as far as she could tell. She definitely wasn't on any sports teams. Maybe she met them all when she went out. Or at the gym. Regina was lost in her own thoughts when there was more knocking on the door.

She huffed and got up to answer it, prepared to snap at whoever it was.

"Hey, roomie! Forgot my keys again."

Regina took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.

"Firstly, you're an idiot. Secondly, do NOT call me that."

The blonde just laughed and Regina felt her insides twitch at the sound as well as that bright smile. Annoyance.

"Thirdly, someone is here to see you. Another friend of yours."

Emma snorted and pushed past the brunette, lighting up when she saw the girl sitting at her desk.

"Belle! What brings you down here? Not that I'm complaining of course."

The blonde winked and the girl, Belle apparently, grinned and pulled her into a hug.

"I just missed you." She blushed a little. "I thought maybe we could grab dinner?"

"Ah man." Emma groaned. "I'd love to but I've really gotta finish this write up."

"Oh." Belle was clearly trying her best not to look disappointed.

"You can stay for a little bit? I'm sure Regina won't mind."

Regina WILL mind, the brunette thought, but she forced a smile and nodded before immediately grabbing her headphones and laptop.

'A little bit' turned into an hour and Regina was starting to think they should've just gone for dinner. From her position sat on her bed, laptop resting on her legs, she could see the two of them on the other bed giggling, Belle's head resting on Emma's shoulder. She felt the annoyance again.

Finally, after what felt like hours, and honestly they could've gone to dinner in this time, they stood. Belle slipped her shoes and jacket back on before wrapping her arms around Emma in what Regina hoped was a farewell hug. When they pulled apart, Belle did something which Regina definitely had not been expecting. She placed a hand on Emma's cheek and pulled her down into a kiss. A kiss which apparently Emma didn't plan on stopping anytime soon. The annoyance rose. It almost felt like an anger now. Her stomach erupted into butterflies? fury? She couldn't take her eyes off Emma's lips. Regina cleared her throat.

Emma pulled away, a faint colouring in her pale cheeks.

She walked Belle to the door, kissed her once more and then closed it behind her. Regina took her headphones off. She didn't know what she wanted to say but she wanted to say something.

"So that was your…" The brunette struggled to form the word, her heart racing. "girlfriend?"

The blonde laughed.

"Not exactly. We've slept together a few times."

"I see." She could hear the strain in her voice. "Is that… common for you?"

Emma raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips.

"Are you asking me if I have sex a lot or if I have sex with women a lot?"

Regina's cheeks reddened and she stammered, unable to find her voice. She never got flustered, this was ridiculous.

"Both."

"So… you're-"

"A lesbian? Yep."

Regina nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn't really know what to do with that information. Her brain was playing Emma's tongue running along Belle's lips on a loop. Her chest felt tight and her head swam and everything felt hot.

"Will that be an issue?" Emma asked defensively, her hands were on her hips and she was clearly trying to convey an 'I really don't care what you think' vibe but there was a glimmer of worry in her eyes.

Regina hesitated for a second, she knew she didn't have an issue with people being gay, or any other sexuality for that matter. She never had. But the anger she had felt, her discomfort, her desperation to make it stop, her apparent obsession with that moment (she didn't think she'd be getting that kiss out of her head anytime soon). The annoyance was far more overwhelming than ever before. Emma was irritating but it was never this bad. Oh god, was she homophobic?

"N-no. Not at all." She finally choked out.

Oh god, she might be homophobic.

 **A/N: This is the first swanqueen fic I've ever published so be gentle please! Rating is M for now but may change, I'll also update tags as we go. I have commitment issues but I do really want to finish this so encouragement would be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Regina?" A hand waved in front of her face. "Regina, are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm?" The brunette blinked, returning to reality, which at this moment was her friend Kathryn staring at her expectantly.

"What is with you? You're so distant today."

Regina fought the redness rising in her cheeks at being caught in the midst of a daydream, again. She was okay, she might even go so far as to say she was great now that she'd had her second coffee of the day. Her distance had nothing to do with being okay, or not, but rather everything to do with her stupid, blonde roommate.

Yesterday she had come home from class to find said stupid, blonde roommate doing press ups in the middle of their room. She knew Emma worked out, of course, her sculpted arms gave that away immediately, but she hadn't seen any evidence of it before. Until now, when she was faced with an incredibly toned Emma Swan dressed in a tiny sports bra and even tinier shorts. A thin layer of sweat clung to her body, making her muscles glisten, rippling with every movement.

Regina had stood, dumbfounded, feeling the familiar stirring in her stomach that was becoming almost a given around the blonde.

"Swan." She managed to say, voice hoarser than she would've liked.

The blonde looked up, catching Regina's eye and smiling that megawatt grin before standing and slipping her headphones round her neck.

"Hey, roomie, how was class?" Emma stood with her hands on her hips and Regina's eyes immediately dropped to her stomach and those abs, shimmering with the light sheen of sweat. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch, out of curiosity, or jealousy, something like that. Whatever the reason, the image wouldn't stop playing over and over again in her mind, even at inconvenient moments such as when her best friend was talking to her.

She wasn't about to tell Kathryn all of that, however, so she simply nodded.

"Sorry, I must just be tired. What were you saying?"

"I was saying," The blonde sounded exasperated and Regina wondered how much she had missed. "I'm going to the party at the Theta Chi house tonight and YOU are coming with me."

Regina opened her mouth to protest but Kathryn wasn't having any of it.

"Yes you are because if you had been listening you would have heard me tell you that there's a guy going who Fred thinks you'd be perfect for, you remember Fred don't you?"

Regina rolled her eyes.

"The one from your economics class, yes you've mentioned him once or twice." Or every time she opens her mouth.

"Yeah, so anyway Fred's got this friend Robin and since you are experiencing such a desperate drought over there, I thought you'd appreciate a little help."

"I don't need any help, Kathryn. And I am not experiencing..." Regina gritted her teeth, trying to remind herself why she was still friends with the blonde. "A drought."

"Yeah, yeah. So, you're coming? It's not like you've got anything better to do and besides, you owe me." Regina definitely didn't owe her but she knew it was pointless to protest. "I'll text Fred and let him know."

Kathryn picked up her phone and the brunette groaned and buried her face in her hands. She was going to hate every second of this.

"Oh, stop." The blonde rolled her eyes and poked Regina in the ribs, still texting with the other hand.

Regina looked back up, preparing give her friend the deathliest glare, but caught someone else's eyes instead. The last person she needed to see right now.

Emma was standing at the counter a few feet away waiting for her order and when she met Regina's eyes, she smiled and waved a little. The brunette's cheeks warmed at the sight of her and she swallowed tightly before returning the greeting with a curt nod. They maintained eye contact for a moment, just long enough for Regina's chest to tighten, before Emma's attention was pulled away by the tall brunette beside her.

Kathryn, who had unfortunately stopped texting and seen the whole interaction, turned to Regina.

"Who's that?"

"That's my, um." She hesitated for reasons she did not fully understand. "My roommate, Emma."

"THAT'S EMMA?!" Kathryn squeaked. "The Emma? As in lesbian Casanova Emma?!"

"Oh my god, will you please lower your voice?" Regina hissed, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her immediately. "And stop staring."

"Shit, Regina, she's gorgeous." Kathryn said, thankfully in a quieter voice, although she still hadn't torn her eyes away.

"Really?" The brunette feigned nonchalance, suddenly extremely interested in the coffee cup in front of her. "I mean, yeah, she's cute, I guess. I hadn't really thought about it."

Kathryn scoffed.

"Are you kidding me? I can totally see why she's got hundreds of girls lining up outside your door. You should stop complaining and join them, honestly, Regina."

"I- don't be ridiculous." The brunette scolded, evidently offended by Kathryn's comments.

"I'm serious. I'm as straight as they come and I'd still let her fu-".

"Enough." Regina snapped, feeling slightly nauseous at the direction this conversation was taking. She really needed to get over this homophobia, it wasn't acceptable and it appeared to only be directed at Emma, which was completely unfair, annoying though she may be.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop." Kathryn smirked, far too pleased with herself for riling up her friend, and held her hands up in defeat before she started collecting her belongings to leave. "Anyway, I'd better go. But I'll see you tonight, won't I?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow, clearly indicating there's only one answer she would accept. Regina, having accepted defeat, reluctantly nodded.

"Yes, you will." She sighed. "I'll be over at 9."

"8. I'm doing your makeup."

"Fine. 8."

"Perfect, see you later. Say hi to your gorgeous roomie for me." Kathryn winked.

* * *

When Regina returned to her room a few hours later, Emma was already back. Thankfully she wasn't working out this time, instead she was sitting at her desk, feet up on it of course, holding what looked to be a grilled cheese.

"Hey, Regina." She mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"That's disgusting."

Emma swallowed and grinned.

"You're just jealous."

"I definitely am not." The brunette replied, placing her bag down beside her bed and pulling out her laptop to get started on some work before she went out later. She had barely sat down at her desk before Emma pushed her own chair over to Regina's side of the room. The blonde held out a cup that contained a nauseatingly sweet smelling drink.

"Milkshake?"

"You are such a child."

Emma laughed.

"Come on, just try it. It's strawberry."

"No, thank you." Regina rolled her eyes. "And could you please put the lid back on that thing before you spill it everywhere."

"But I can drink it faster like this than with a dumb straw." The blonde pouted. Regina just glared at her. "Geez, relax, I'm not gonna spill it."

"Okay, fine. One sip."

Emma beamed and Regina just shook her head, taking the cup from her. She smelled it briefly and decided that it probably wouldn't kill her and at least it would get Emma to leave her alone. She pressed her lips to the edge of the cup, the blonde watching intently and far too excitedly, and took one small sip. She hated to admit it but it was actually quite nice, definitely too sweet to drink the entire thing but surprisingly enjoyable.

"You like it." Emma stated, still beaming.

"It's… not the worst." Regina confessed reluctantly.

"You can have another sip if you want."

The brunette did so and Emma laughed and cheered.

"Alright, that's enough." Regina handed the cup back and a small smile formed on her lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The blonde returned the gentle smile and held her gaze for a moment before Regina shook herself and realised she was yet to start her work.

The brunette turned to her laptop in front of her and opened it, only to see that it was dead. She sighed and moved to get up to retrieve the charger from her bag. Unfortunately, she walked straight into Emma, who was still sitting far too close to her, the milkshake with its open lid in her hand, and the inevitable happened. The cold pink liquid spilt all down Regina's white top and she shrieked, Emma scrambling to her feet, bewildered by the whole thing.

"You absolute idiot!" The brunette screeched and if looks could kill, Emma would have died an instant death.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Regina." Emma had the decency to look embarrassed. "It was an accident."

"An accident that could have easily been avoided! I told you to put a lid it because you'd spill it and I was right!" Regina was seething. "And why the hell were you in my way? This is all your fault."

"Woah, hey." Emma frowned. "That's not fair, I know I was stupid about the lid thing but it was an accident and YOU walked into ME."

"Well, how could I not?! You were sitting practically on top of me!"

The blonde scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Regina."

"How am I the ridiculous one?!" Emma had really done it now. "You are ALWAYS in my personal space with your annoying presence or your annoying mess and I know you love playing your little games and winding me up but I'm sick of it!"

That was apparently enough to push Emma over the edge too.

"Are you fucking serious?" The blonde laughed in disbelief. "Yeah, I do love winding you up and you wanna know why? Because you're so fucking stuck up, literally everything pisses you off, Regina. Would it really kill you to lighten up for once? Fuck."

Regina fixed her with the coldest glare, her jaw clenched.

"You know what, I can't do this." The blonde threw her hands in the air. "I'm going out. Try to take the stick out of your ass while I'm gone."

The door slammed and Regina was left standing in the middle of the room, lukewarm milkshake trickling down her chest.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina Mills hated frat parties. That was a known fact. One that her friends were well aware of. And yet, here she was sat on a couch in a frat house, surrounded by drunk and loud strangers. She held an empty, and terribly cliché, red solo cup close to her chest, having drunk her wine at twice the speed she normally would. She needed it tonight. Beside her sat Robin, the date she had been set up with, his face dimly lit by the multicolored LED lights dancing across the room.

The date was not going well to say the least. Their conversation so far had been excruciatingly dull and Regina was longing for Kathryn and Fred to return from playing beer pong in the other room to save her.

"So, I hear you're majoring in English?" He asked and honestly, even that British accent couldn't save how irritating his voice was.

"Yes. Yourself?"

"Environmental Science. I like it, I'm a big fan of the outdoors, the natural world." He paused. "Do you like camping?"

"Not really, no." Regina admitted bluntly. She had been more receptive to his questions at first but now she found herself giving the briefest answers possible to discourage him, maybe he would eventually get bored too and leave.

Robin nodded, clearly unsure what to say in response. On another day, she might have gone along with the tedious small talk. The boy seemed alright, not as attractive as Kathryn had made him out to be, and nowhere near as interesting, but nice, she supposed. However, after her fight with Emma earlier, she just wasn't in the mood to indulge him. She was kicking herself for overreacting. She hadn't meant to upset her so much and she hoped that Emma would forgive her.

When she returned to the conversation and looked back to Robin, she realised that he was just watching her, smiling softly, and she shifted awkwardly.

"You're really beautiful, Regina." He spoke, his voice a little lower than before.

"Thanks."

"Fred said you were attractive but honestly…" He chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't think he did you justice. You're stunning."

"Thank you." Regina said again, becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

He moved a little closer and Regina tensed, deciding to put a stop to this immediately.

"Robin, would you mind getting me some more wine?"

His face fell slightly but he nodded and took her cup from her, telling her he'd be back soon and to wait there.

As soon as he had left, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch, taking a deep breath. God, she wanted to go home. Perhaps she could sneak out while he was gone, tell Kathryn she wasn't feeling well so she had to leave. That could work. Or she could-

"Hey, is this seat taken?"

She looked up to the sound of a familiar voice and couldn't help the relief that flooded through her when she saw who it was.

"Emma." She breathed, unable to keep her lips from turning upwards ever so slightly. "No, please sit."

"Hey." The blonde smiled and sat down but she looked a little awkward, guilty maybe. "I didn't know you would be here tonight, I mean I knew you were going out but I didn't know where to and then I saw you and I wanted to come over to apologize but you were with a guy so I didn't wanna cockblock or anything so I waited but now you're alone so hi."

Regina chuckled softly at the other woman's ramble. She was grateful that the music was a little quieter where they were so they didn't have to talk too loud.

"You could've come over sooner to be honest, you wouldn't have been…" She paused to hold up her hands and signal air quotes. "'Cockblocking' anything, in fact I could've done with some saving."

Emma grimaced.

"That bad, huh?"

The brunette would later blame her comfort in this moment on the wine. The real reason, however, was much more to do with how at ease she felt in Emma's presence, even now, with the argument hanging over their heads.

"He's AWFUL." Regina groaned, covering her face with her hands and the blonde laughed. "He's so boring, I could've fallen asleep! I had to be polite because our friends set us up and he's nice enough but god, he's dull."

"How did you manage to finally get rid of him?" Emma asked, one arm over the back of the couch, her head tilted in amusement.

"He started telling me I was beautiful and was clearly trying to make a move so I sent him to get me a drink." The brunette told her, surprised at how naturally the honesty came.

"Good one." Emma nodded and then quirked her lips into a smile. "The boring dude's not wrong though, you are beautiful."

Warmth flooded Regina's body at those words and she dipped her head with a barely concealed smile, feeling almost shy. The compliment felt so different coming from the blonde.

"Thanks." She said quietly, raising her head just enough to meet Emma's eyes, which were somehow still bright in the dim room. The blonde was smiling at her and it made Regina's stomach twist and turn in a strangely pleasant way.

"Anyway, I, um, I really did want to apologize to you for earlier." Emma scratched her head and turned awkward again.

Regina sat up a little straighter and nodded, knowing she needed to apologize too.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I didn't mean the things I said." The blonde said honestly. "I mean I do love to wind you up but it's because you challenge me, I have fun with you. You don't need to lighten up, you're great as you are and I… I weirdly kinda like your stubbornness."

Regina chuckled at that and Emma grinned, relaxing a little.

"I'm also sorry for ruining your shirt, it was my fault and I should've been more careful with that stupid milkshake. I'm an idiot."

"It's okay, it should come out in the wash." Regina reassured her and then smirked. "And yes, you are an idiot but I forgive you."

"Thanks." Emma laughed.

"But, um, I should also apologize." Regina said, turning serious again. She fidgeted, playing with her hands as she decided how best to say this, she wasn't a natural when it came to apologizing. "I shouldn't have overreacted or blamed you, accidents happen. I'm sorry. And I…" She blushed. "I don't find you THAT annoying."

The blonde mock gasped.

"Stop the press! I think Regina Mills might have just complimented me!"

"You wish." Regina rolled her eyes playfully.

Emma grinned at her and the brunette felt warmth flutter through her. She didn't even realize how close to one another they had become until Emma reached out, tucking a stray hair behind Regina's ear. It was completely unexpected and the brunette's breath caught in her throat, her skin tingling where soft fingers brushed against it.

"Sorry," Emma said quietly, watching Regina with a gentle expression the brunette couldn't quite decipher. "You just had a little…"

"It's okay." Regina smiled softly, her voice shakier than she would've liked. She was so caught up in the moment, she didn't even notice Kathryn, Fred and Robin enter the room.

"Regina!" The brunette heard Kathryn squeal, causing her to look up and realize they were no longer alone. Regina jumped away from Emma like she had been burned.

Kathryn ran over and threw herself into the small space between them on the couch, giggling to herself and looking up at the brunette.

"I missed you." She pouted, leaning her head against Regina's shoulder. She was clearly drunk from the beer pong and whatever else she'd consumed in the hours it seemed she had been gone.

"Emma, this is my friend Kathryn." The brunette sighed, gesturing to the grinning blonde between them. At the sound of the other blonde's name, Kathryn whipped her head round to her and gasped as she realized just who she was sat next to.

"Hey, I'm Emma, Regina's roommate." Emma said, nodding at Kathryn in acknowledgement and lifting the hand that was resting on the back of the couch to give a little wave. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, don't worry, I know who you are." Kathryn laughed, her words slurring ever so slightly. Regina was already hating this conversation. "Regina's told me sooo much about you."

"Oh, really?" Emma raised an eyebrow and her lips quirked into a sly smile, looking towards Regina. "All bad I hope."

"Honestly, she talks about you allll the time." Kathryn drawled, rolling her eyes. "Anyone would think that she-"

"Kathryn." Regina interrupted, her voice stern.

Luckily, her drunk friend didn't even get a chance to protest because at that moment Fred and Robin also appeared beside them.

"Hey, Regina." Robin said. "Sorry for abandoning you like that, Fred forced me to play beer pong. Needed all the help he could get. He's shit."

Fred shoved him playfully and they bickered amongst themselves. Kathryn leaped off the couch to join in, but Regina wasn't even looking at them. Instead, she was watching Emma, who was clearly trying hard not to glare at Robin, a barely concealed scowl etched into her features. The brunette bit her lip to hold in a giggle at the sight.

However, her amusement quickly faded when a tall brunette in the tiniest shorts Regina had ever seen came up behind the blonde. Regina felt a vague sense of recognition before realizing it was the girl Emma had been with at the coffee shop. There was a smirk on the brunette's lips as she tapped Emma on the shoulder and when she'd gained her attention, she bent down to whisper in her ear. Emma tilted her head to listen better, her expression amused as she nodded along to whatever the girl was telling her.

Regina felt herself grow anxious watching the conversation. She wanted to know who this girl was and what was going on.

When the brunette had finished, she stood and Emma turned back to Regina, who quickly discovered a fascination with the floor, pretending she hadn't been staring the whole time.

"Hey, um, sorry Regina but I gotta go. It was good to talk to you though." She reached over and gave the brunette's hand a quick squeeze. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Oh. Okay. See you later" Regina said, her heart sinking for some reason. There was no reason to feel so disappointed. She saw Emma all the time anyway, they lived together for god's sake.

"Bye!" The blonde stage whispered, most likely so that she didn't attract the attention of the world's most annoying trio, and stood up from the couch.

"Bye." Regina said half-heartedly, forcing a smile.

The tall brunette instantly walked into Emma's arms and the blonde ran her hands down her back, bringing them to rest on the girl's hips, tugging her closer. Oh, wonderful. Another irritating Emma Swan groupie. The brunette felt a familiar bubbling in her stomach and a tightening in her chest, the same reaction she always had when she saw Emma with one of them.

The feeling only increased when the tall brunette woman said something quietly to Emma, eyebrows raised suggestively, and the blonde smirked before taking her hand and leading her through the crowds and out of the room.

Regina was left feeling angry. Angry for reasons she could not even begin to understand.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello! I keep forgetting to do these author's notes, sorry. I just wanted to let you know I'm now updating every Sunday for the next month or so at least. Yay for having a regular schedule. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's extra soft.**

By mid-October, Regina was finding herself swamped with work. She was trying, and in fact succeeding so far, to stay on top of it all but it was exhausting. The last few days had felt particularly draining and she feared that she was beginning to get sick. In the last day or so, her throat had started to become a little sore and her head hurt but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She set herself up at her desk, ibuprofen, lozenges and water bottle at the ready, and threw herself into some reading.

About an hour or so into Regina's attempt at being productive, Emma returned.

"Hey." She called as she threw her keys on her desk and shrugged off her bag.

"Hey." Regina echoed, glancing up from her work. "I see you finally made it to that 9am class."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Congratulations."

Emma chuckled at the brunette's dry tone and Regina allowed herself a small smile, always secretly a little proud when she made the blonde laugh.

"What's with all the drugs?" Emma asked, inviting herself into Regina's space and inspecting the various pills. She paused, her face falling as she placed a gentle hand on the brunette's arm. "Are you sick?"

Regina looked up into concerned eyes and her heart fluttered, warmth radiating from within. She drew in a deep breath to steady herself and then forced a casual expression.

"No, no." She reassured the blonde, shaking her head. "They're just precautionary."

"Okay." Emma said softly and squeezed her shoulder before dropping her hand, moving to lean against the desk. Her voice took on a teasing tone. "Well, if you do get sick, let me know so I can stay 3 feet away at all times."

Regina hummed, tapping her pen against her chin as if in thought, a playful smile on her lips.

"Now wouldn't that be nice." She mused, then pointed the pen at Emma. "You know what, maybe I should constantly tell you that I'm sick." The brunette sighed wistfully. "Freedom at last."

"You love my company!" Emma replied in mock indignation.

"You're the most annoying person I've ever met."

The blonde smirked.

"What happened to me 'not being THAT annoying'?" She teased, repeating Regina's words from the party.

Regina felt herself blush, remembering that conversation. Specifically, the moment they had shared just after that. Emma had been so close to her, her fingers grazing her skin so softly. The brunette shifted in her seat slightly. She shook the image from her head.

"Yes, well." Regina started, her voice light and a sly smile on her lips. "I had been drinking. Clearly, I wasn't in my right mind."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Regina." The blonde stuck her tongue out and Regina laughed loud and free despite herself.

"Okay, you need to leave me be now, you child. I've got things to do."

Emma nodded and moved to get up before pausing. She rubbed her neck awkwardly.

"I forgot to mention… just to let you know." She began carefully. "I have a girl coming over tonight."

Regina frowned. This was hardly a surprise. Emma always had girls knocking on their door and the brunette was very much aware of it because it aggravated her beyond belief.

"… Okay? That's nothing new but okay."

"No, I don't mean like picking me up or saying hi, I mean she's coming over to, um, hang out."

"Oh." Regina said, still confused and sensing that there was more to it.

The blonde rushed to explain.

"I try to avoid bringing girls back here because it's unfair to you but we can't go to hers tonight and we kinda just wanted to have a night in."

"Oh." Regina repeated, realization dawning upon her.

"I haven't told her she can stay over or anything. She shouldn't be here too late. You can stay if you want?"

Regina almost laughed. No way did she want to sit there during this date. The groupies were infuriating enough at a distance. Spending her evening in a dorm with one all over Emma? No thank you.

"No, no." She shook her head dismissively. "I'll spend the night at Kathryn's. I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be!" Emma jumped to reassure her.

Regina did let out a wry laugh this time.

"Will you really be able to do… everything you want with me there?"

The brunette was trying her hardest not to think about her roommate's sex life but Emma's instant and deep blush was not helping. The blonde bit her lip, cheeks pink.

"Exactly." Regina quirked an eyebrow. "So, I will go to Kathryn's."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Emma, it's fine."

The blonde smiled and squeezed Regina's arm again.

"Thanks."

* * *

It was 5pm and Regina was already in bed, covers wrapped tightly around her, blinds down, and all the lights, besides Emma's fairy lights, turned off. She was definitely sick. She had practically crawled home from Kathryn's this morning, her head and throat throbbing and the rest of her body tired and aching. All she had wanted was her bed. Painkillers had eased the headache but the exhaustion had only intensified and her throat still felt sore.

Her pity party was interrupted when she heard keys rattling just outside the room. The door opened and the brunette tensed, waiting for it to slam but the noise never came. Instead, there was a gentle click and then a soft "Regina?"

She looked up upon hearing her name and there was Emma, walking over to her.

"You're sick." She stated, her voice gentle and full of worry.

"Excellent observation." Regina drawled roughly.

Emma tilted her head to the side, her expression kind.

"Still got your sarcasm then."

Regina tried to laugh but her throat felt raw, worsened by merely speaking, and she whimpered in pain.

Worry flashed in the blonde's eyes and she moved closer, stroking Regina's side over the duvet.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Regina hesitated, she hated asking for help but Emma was stroking her so gently and looking so concerned, all she wanted was to just melt into the blonde's arms and admit defeat.

"Let me take care of you. I want to." Emma urged.

And so, Regina let her.

Emma spent her evening bringing the brunette an assortment of medications, drinks and soup. Regina was quietly reveling in the attention and she felt a content warmth in her chest, despite all the pain and the tiredness. Her throat was feeling better too, enough to chat with Emma, who was now sat at the end of her bed.

Regina found herself wanting to ask her a particular question. It was one that she didn't really want to hear the answer to but there was something inside of her compelling her to ask, she needed to know.

"How was your date last night?" She finally voiced.

Emma looked confused for a second, which was understandable, Regina never asked about her love life. She was always snarky when there were visitors or rolled her eyes at the mention of any girl. Her irritation was not well concealed to say the least.

"It was good. We had fun." Emma shrugged.

"What did you do?"

Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really wanna know that?"

Some strange, masochistic part of Regina did and she hated the burning curiosity that had suddenly developed within her. The part of her that was annoyed at the mere thought of the date won out though and she quirked her lips.

"Probably not." She said, hesitating slightly before asking, "Are you gonna see her again?"

Emma nodded.

"I was meant to see her tonight. It's Friday the 13th and it's October and I dunno, we're both into spooky shit so we were gonna watch a scary movie or something. It's dumb."

"It's not dumb." Regina shook her head. "Why didn't you go?"

"You were sick." Emma said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You did that for me?" Regina's voice was barely above a whisper. The warmth from her chest poured into every cell of her body and she felt herself light up from the inside.

"Yeah, of course. Like I said, I wanted to take care of you."

"Thank you." Regina said quietly.

Emma smiled and nodded before moving to get up. Regina's heart sank. She didn't want her to go, which was ridiculous because she was only going to the other side of the room.

"Will you watch a scary movie with me?" Regina blurted, unsure where the question had even come from. She bit her lip in anticipation.

"I'd love to." Emma beamed.

And so Regina moved over whilst Emma grabbed her laptop.

"Could you pass me my glasses?" Regina asked, pointing to where they were on the desk.

Emma handed them to her with a frown.

"I never knew you wore glasses?"

She was stood beside the bed, clearly hesitating about sitting down beside Regina but the brunette pulled the covers back and nodded towards it. Emma acquiesced and settled in beside her.

"I only got them last week, I haven't really worn them yet." Regina explained, sliding them onto her face.

She looked up at Emma shyly.

"I don't really like them, I feel kinda silly in them." She admitted, wrinkling her nose.

Emma shook her head furiously.

"You don't look silly at all. I like them."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you look beautiful." Emma said and with the way she was looking at her, Regina almost felt it.

They found a movie to watch fairly quickly; Emma seemed to know the genre inside out and picked one without much debate. Once she'd decided and checked with Regina, who had never even heard of the movie but accepted the choice nevertheless, she placed the laptop on her outstretched legs, turning it so Regina could see too.

"Are you comfy?" Emma asked. Regina wasn't but she couldn't work out why, she kept wriggling and fidgeting trying to adjust her position.

"Lean on me if you want?" The blonde suggested, reaching an arm around Regina's shoulders and gently pulling her closer.

Regina nodded, surprised at how comfortable she was with Emma holding her. The blonde was all warmth and softness and a gentle scent Regina found that she loved. She leaned her head on Emma's chest and couldn't help but let out a content sigh. Her arm naturally fell across the blonde's waist over the duvet and she let it rest there.

"Better?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded, it was definitely an improvement but she'd noticed that her glasses were digging in awkwardly now that her face was pressed against Emma. She took them off and handed them to Emma to place on the side.

"I'll survive."

Emma nodded and put them down before returning to the laptop in front of her. One hand hovered over the play button whilst the other held Regina just beneath her outstretched arm, fingertips splayed against her ribs.

"You ready?" She asked, to which Regina nodded in response. "Okay, let's go."

Halfway through the movie, Regina felt her eyes drifting closed. At first, she had been on edge, her and Emma jumping and clutching each other tighter at every sudden movement, but she had lost focus from her exhaustion and was no longer paying any attention.

Without even thinking about it, she shifted down a little, her head now resting on Emma's lap, and let her eyes close. It was clear she wasn't watching any more but Emma thankfully made no attempt to stop or move, she simply continued to stroke her hand up and down Regina's side. Then the stroking stopped.

Before Regina could feel disappointed, however, she felt fingers running through her hair, scratching her scalp ever so gently. The affection made Regina's heart swell and she had to bite her lip to stop from moaning at the sensation. She would've been embarrassed, not to mention confused, about how content she felt had she not been so sick and so tired.

Regina fell asleep that night curled around Emma's body, gentle fingers combing through her hair and a smile upon her face.

 **A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favorites so far, I really appreciate it!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Kathryn, no. There is no way in hell I'm wearing that."

Regina was sat at the end of Kathryn's bed, staring at the costume in the blonde's hand. Their friends had wanted to do a group costume for Halloween and Regina, uninterested in the whole stupid thing, had let Kathryn choose something for her. A move that she was now deeply, deeply regretting.

"Marian wanted to do DC characters and everyone else agreed so that's what we're doing." Kathryn said, her tone leaving no room for debate.

"Well, who are you being?"

"Supergirl."

"That's such a good one." Regina whined.

Kathryn rolled her eyes.

"Why couldn't I have just been Wonder Woman or something?" Regina continued to moan.

"Marian's Wonder Woman."

"Lois Lane?"

"Just try it on."

"Ughhhh." Regina threw herself back on the bed dramatically, flopping an arm across her face. "Fine." She conceded with a sigh, hauling herself up and snatching the costume out of her friend's hand.

The damn thing required a lot more time and energy to get into than she'd expected and she struggled to get each limb in and each boot on. She pulled the zip up her front and placed the cat ears on her head but when she finally stood and looked in the mirror, her eyebrows shot up. She turned from side to side, finding she didn't actually hate this at all. She didn't feel anywhere near as silly as she thought she would. She looked good.

When she stepped back into Kathryn's bedroom a few moments later, the blonde's face immediately split into a devious grin.

"Now that's what I'm talking about."

* * *

On the night of Halloween, Regina found herself at yet another frat party. For once, however, she was actually enjoying herself. She was just the right level of tipsy, laughing with her friends at the ridiculousness of some people's costumes, including her own. The catsuit gave her a new-found confidence though and the wolf whistles she received from her fellow DC ladies when she greeted them only added to it, though of course she would never tell them as much and had merely rolled her eyes.

What's more, there was no sign of Robin. Yet.

The brunette poured herself another cup of wine as Kathryn and Marian leaned on the kitchen counter either side of her, explaining, incredibly dramatically, an incident that occurred after their economics class yesterday.

"Exactly, that's definitely what he was trying to imply." Marian was explaining.

"Right! So obviously, Fred was fucking mad at this point and he was like-," Kathryn cut herself off mid-sentence. "Is that Emma?"

Regina whipped her head round so fast she almost dropped the drink she had just poured, missing the way her blonde friend smirked as she did so.

"Yeah, it is." Regina confirmed, her voice coming out strained as her throat tightened at the sight of her roommate. She gripped the edge of the counter as her legs suddenly threatened to give way beneath her.

Emma looked… Regina couldn't even find a word for it. The blonde was dressed in a cop costume, complete with a badge and metal handcuffs dangling from her belt. She wore simple black slacks and a tight, short-sleeved navy shirt, which allowed Regina's eyes to trace over every ripple of muscle as Emma reached out to grab a bottle. She had a simple pair of aviators on top of her head and her hair was down in those natural curls which begged for Regina to run her hands through them. Wait.

"Are you gonna say hi or?" Kathryn interrupted her staring, she couldn't deny it had been staring, with a raise of her eyebrows and a hand gesturing in Emma's direction.

"Right," Regina swallowed. "Yeah."

She took a deep breath and pushed herself off the counter, making her way over to the other side of the kitchen, her legs shaking with each step. Behind her, Marian's brows were at her hairline, her eyes bulging at the reaction she had just witnessed from her friend.

"What the fuck…" She muttered, just loud enough for Kathryn to hear.

"I know."

Regina approached Emma cautiously, moving to stand beside her as she finished mixing her drink. The blonde looked up, sensing her presence, and instantly grinned when she saw who it was.

"Regina!" She beamed, slamming the bottle down and wrapping her arms around the brunette. This was a thing they did now. Hugging. Regina was reluctant to admit that she didn't hate it. She tentatively placed her hands on Emma's back and patted once before quickly pulling away. The pleasant feeling in her stomach whenever Emma held her like that made her nervous.

"Hi." Regina smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed from the brief moment of contact.

"You look…" Emma shamelessly looked her up and down, her eyes stopping momentarily on the brunette's cleavage, and then bit her lip, something deep within Regina clenching deliciously at the action. "Incredible."

She dipped her head to avoid Emma's heated gaze.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"Seriously, Regina, you look…" Emma paused again, clearly struggling for words. She shook her head and laughed, causing Regina to meet her eyes again. "Fuck."

Regina's lips curled into a playful smile at that.

"Articulate as ever."

"Not all of us are good with words, Miss English Major." Emma teased in response.

Regina chuckled and then felt herself go shy again.

"You look good too by the way." She admitted, face warming all over again. She tried to avoid making eye contact as she said it but then found her eyes trailing all over the blonde's figure. From here, she swore she could almost make out her abs through the navy shirt which clung to her torso. She shuddered slightly.

"Oh, yeah?" Emma smirked, much too cocky for Regina's liking.

"Yeah." Regina did her best to feign nonchalance despite the coiling in the pit of her stomach, giving a casual shrug. "The cop costume's been done too many times before though. It's a little cliché. 2/10 for effort."

"Really?" Emma asked, stepping a little closer to the brunette, whose heart rate instantly shot up. "Would you say it's a…" She paused, sly grin growing. "Cop-out."

Regina groaned and shoved her away, making Emma throw her head back with laughter.

They continued their back and forth for a little while, Regina realizing that she never felt lighter than when she was with Emma, never so unguarded. Eventually, they both grudgingly admitted that they should check in with their respective friend groups. However, not before Emma pulled Regina into another hug, strong arms holding her waist and blonde hair tickling her face.

She whispered her goodbye in Regina's ear and a shiver went up the brunette's spine, the coil deep within her stomach tightening.

When she returned to her friends, Kathryn was regarding her curiously. Before she had the chance to ask anything, however, Marian bounded over to them, slightly breathless and definitely drunk.

"Robin's looking for you." She told Regina.

Great.

"I hope you told him I'd fallen off the face of the planet."

Marian grimaced and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I said I'd come and find you."

Regina took a deep breath and looked to the ceiling, willing herself to calm down. Marian hadn't meant any harm. She couldn't possibly know how desperately Regina wanted to avoid the boy. Kathryn, however, understood to some extent and touched her gently on the arm.

"Go find him. I'll come and get you in 10 if you're not back." She promised.

Regina sighed but nodded, thanking her quietly before slipping from the crowd to look for the boy.

Ever since the last party, he had been messaging her on Facebook every so often, too often in Regina's opinion, asking her if they could meet, if she'd grab coffee with him, if she'd come over, if they could catch a movie together. All of these requests were either ignored or responded to with the first excuse she could think of.

She couldn't fathom what had given him even the slightest indication that she was interested in pursuing something in the first place. Their conversation had been boring and when he'd called her beautiful she'd sent him away. Later on, after Emma had disappeared with that tall brunette girl, Robin had leaned in to kiss her and she'd stopped him with a firm hand to his chest. After that, he backed off for the rest of the night and Regina was pleased, thinking that he'd got the memo. However, she apparently hadn't been clear enough as the next day the messages began. She should've blocked him.

Hopefully this time they spoke, he'd finally get the idea.

"Robin, hey." She called, approaching him and a few of his friends, who all stared at her unabashedly. Regina fixed each of them in turn with a dangerous glare. "Do you mind?"

Robin glowered at his friends before looking to Regina apologetically, quickly pulling her away from their leering.

"Sorry about that."

"You wanted to talk to me?" She asked, already growing impatient.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I just wanted to know what was going on with us."

"Us." She repeated.

"Yeah like what's happening here? You're so cold with me," He began and for a second, Regina allowed herself a glimmer of hope that he'd figured it out. "Which is kinda confusing because it's obvious that you like me."

Regina choked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"You're single, I'm single." He continued. "We're both good-looking people."

Regina shook her head frantically.

"Robin, stop, you've got this all wrong, I-"

"And I'm sorry if you felt like I was going too fast." He ploughed on. "You're just really hot and- "

"Robin, stop." Regina said again, her voice firmer this time. She inhaled deeply. "I don't know where you've got this idea from but there is no us. I didn't stop you from kissing me because I thought it was too fast, I stopped you because I'm not interested."

"Oh." He said quietly. Then he frowned. "But why not?"

Regina bit her tongue. Where to even begin. Perhaps with how frustratingly entitled and completely lacking in self-awareness he was.

"I'm just not."

"Could we start over? I promise you'll like me and-"

"Robin." Regina was utterly exasperated, she was running out of ways to put this. "I'm not interested in you and I never will be. It's not meant to be."

Before Robin could protest any further, Kathryn appeared by Regina's side, giving the girl an out.

"I've got to go." Regina said and then she was leaving, Kathryn right beside her.

"Do you think he's finally got the message?" The blonde asked as they made their way through the house, halting every few seconds as people continuously blocked their path, costumed students sprawling throughout every room and hallway.

"Yeah, I think so." Regina breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll drink to that." Kathryn laughed, raising her cup.

Regina raised an invisible glass and pretended to tap it against her friend's.

"Nah, that won't do. Let's get you a real drink. You definitely need it."

Regina couldn't argue with that and willingly followed as Kathryn took her hand and led her towards the kitchen.

They were stopped, however, by a group of frat boys in Roman togas. They filled the width of the hallway, meaning Regina and Kathryn had no way of getting past without squeezing through the middle. Regina didn't particularly want to do that after the lewd stares she had got from Robin's friends, and that was at a safe distance.

"Let's just wait, they'll clear off in a second." Kathryn said, sensing Regina's hesitation.

Regina nodded and retreated a little, leaning against a wall. From this position, she had a good view of the room they had ended up in. It was dark but she could still easily make out some familiar faces. Mal, a friend from her freshman year anthropology class, Sidney, Ursula. Then her gaze settled on the couch in the corner, where there was another person she recognized. Emma. And she wasn't alone.

There was a brunette girl, not the same one as last time Regina noted, sitting on her lap. The girl's arms were wrapped round her neck, one of Emma's hands threaded through her dark hair and the other round her waist, holding her close.

They were kissing. Making out would probably be the more appropriate term as Regina could see Emma's tongue licking its way inside the girl's mouth.

A surge of emotions slammed into Regina as she watched. She felt that familiar anger brewing, her fists clenching. Half of her wanted to storm over the couple and pull the girl right out of Emma's arms. But another part of her was utterly transfixed.

She watched on, mesmerized, as Emma squeezed the girl's waist, parting their lips just long enough to drop her face to the girl's neck. Regina assumed from the brunette's expression that Emma was working some kind of magic there.

Regina's heart was racing, her breathing unsteady and she was regretting wearing this stupid latex, every inch of her skin suddenly unbearably hot.

When Emma lifted her head and the pulled the girl down, capturing her lips again, Regina felt an overwhelming tug in the pit of her stomach. It ached as she watched them, Emma's hand slipping down to the girl's ass.

"Wow." Kathryn whistled lowly. "Emma's got game."

Regina nodded dumbly, her eyes never leaving the couple.

"You can just tell she'd be fucking amazing in bed."

Regina's throat went dry at that comment, the ache inside her dropping without warning to a dull throb between her legs. She quickly turned away, the sensation terrifying her.

"How much are we betting those handcuffs are gonna get some use later?" Kathryn continued, chuckling to herself.

Regina squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out the torrent of mental images Kathryn's question had unleashed and she tried to take steady breaths to control herself.

"Get me the fucking tequila." She murmured, pushing past her friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Happy Sunday! Hope you enjoy! Also I have twitter now, lovesicksapphic, go follow me if you'd like.**

It took Regina a good few days to recover from her Halloween induced hangover. Kathryn was, quite rightly, very confused by the whole ordeal, having witnessed her usually reserved friend down so many shots she needed to be all but carried home.

When asked about it, Regina immediately tried to change the subject. There was no way she was going to tell Kathryn, or anyone else for that matter, about how furious seeing Emma making out with that girl had made her. She couldn't have anyone knowing about her homophobia. She knew it was unacceptable but it was the only explanation that made sense to her so she decided to just avoid the topic at all costs.

She also couldn't have Kathryn asking her any questions that might force her to confront the other emotions the scene had stirred within her. No, those had been instantly repressed and would hopefully soon be forgotten.

Luckily, Kathryn had soon moved on to the next drama, some scandal surrounding a guy named Arthur, and Regina could breathe a little easier once again.

After that, the next few weeks flew by and somehow it was Thanksgiving already. It seemed everyone was taking their few days of vacation as an opportunity to go home and spend the holiday with their families. Even Kathryn had somehow managed to tear herself away from Fred, her now official boyfriend, to travel back to her parents' house.

Regina, however, was not particularly fussed about family time. The thought of travelling all the way home just to spend time her mother and sister was unappealing to say the least. She was actually quite looking forward to just being alone for a few days, catching up on work and sleep.

Except it turned out that she wasn't alone. Emma had stayed. Of course she had. Because it would've been too easy if she had gone and apparently the universe had decided Regina wasn't allowed easy.

It wasn't like they were on bad terms, per say. She had felt nervous around her after the Halloween debacle at first, afraid that Emma might somehow sense something was up. However, once Kathryn had let the incident be put to rest and Regina was able to push it to the very back of her mind, she had managed to regain a sense of normalcy with Emma. She might even go so far as to say they were getting along well.

However, for some unknown reason, the thought of spending three whole days with Emma, without any time apart for classes or social events on Regina's part, made her nervous. She just had to hope Emma's busy social life stayed just that, infuriating though it may be.

For the first day, her wish came true. Regina hardly even saw Emma. She herself had been drifting between the library and a local coffee shop during the day and then Emma went out in the evening, their paths only crossing very briefly in the morning.

The next day, Thanksgiving itself, Regina was a little less lucky. When she awoke, it was to the sight of Emma stretching in the middle of the room, athletic gear and sneakers on and water bottle in hand.

"Morning, sleepy." Emma grinned at the brunette, who sat up and ran a hand through her dark hair.

"What are you doing up so early?" She asked, raising a hand to cover a yawn. She was surprised to see the blonde awake before midday.

"My mom called, woke me up." Emma explained, shaking her limbs out before stretching forwards into a lunge. Regina forced herself to stay looking at the blonde's face. "Couldn't get back to sleep."

Regina nodded and rose to her feet, planning on grabbing some clothes and her caddy to have a quick shower before she headed off to the library again.

"Hey." Emma said as Regina was pulling a fresh t-shirt out of the drawer. "Do you wanna grab dinner together later? Chinese takeout? Or something else if you'd prefer, I'll eat anything."

There was a nervousness to the blonde's voice, a slight raise in her pitch that made Regina pause.

"I'm not a fan of Thanksgiving, I don't like what it stands for." Emma hurried to explain. "But I am missing out on a killer meal, as my mom likes to keep reminding me. So, what do you say? Not a celebration, just a casual meal, you and me?"

Regina's lips twitched into a smile without her permission.

"Sure."

* * *

"So, how come you didn't go home this weekend?" Emma asked around a mouthful of food.

They had decided on pizza in the end, Regina allowing herself a treat just this once. She had refused to let the greasy cardboard boxes anywhere near her side of the room, however, threatening Emma with murder if she got even so much as a drop of the cheesy stuff on Regina's covers, and so they were sat beside each other on the blonde's bed, their backs leaning against the wall.

"It wasn't worth it." Regina shrugged. "I didn't want to fly all the way home just for one weekend. Besides, I'd like to put off seeing my mother and sister for as long as possible." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they've already got their interrogation prepped for the next time I visit."

The brunette sighed before taking a bite of her pizza.

"That's fair." Emma replied, reaching for another slice. "Do you not get on with them?"

Regina shrugged, not wishing to speak with her mouth full even if Emma clearly had no qualms about doing so.

"What about your father?"

Regina swallowed.

"He's dead."

"Shit, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Regina said even though it wasn't. She hated to admit how much it still affected her to talk about him. "We were close but it was a long time ago, you aren't the first person to ask me about him."

Emma, clearly sensing things weren't as easy as the brunette was letting on, reached down to intertwine their fingers.

"Still." The blonde said quietly, her thumb tracing comforting circles over Regina's. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Thanks." Regina whispered and Emma squeezed her hand a little tighter.

"So, where's home for you anyway?" The blonde said after a moment and Regina breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful for the change of topic.

"A really small town in Maine, you wouldn't have heard of it. I've lived there my whole life."

"No way!" Emma exclaimed, her face breaking into a grin. "My parents moved to Portland from Boston a few years ago."

"Portland isn't too far from me." Regina nodded. "I'd like to move there after I graduate."

Emma smirked and squeezed the brunette's hand again. Regina hadn't even realized they were still holding hands.

"I guess this means you'll never escape me now."

Regina groaned and Emma laughed, nudging her with her shoulder.

"Will you move back in with your parents once you graduate?" Regina asked, grabbing a mozzarella stick with her free hand. One wouldn't hurt.

"I dunno actually." Emma admitted. "I'd like to stay in Portland for sure."

Regina nodded.

"I suppose I really won't be escaping you any time soon then."

Emma beamed at that and Regina couldn't help but smile too.

"I feel like I've learned a lot about you tonight." Emma hummed thoughtfully. "There's so much we don't know about each other."

"I'm not in the habit of telling people about my life." The brunette said simply.

"Indulge me a little longer?" Emma asked and how could Regina say no to those bright, curious eyes.

"Okay."

Emma was fascinated by Regina it seemed, asking her question after question, lapping up each reply with unwavering enthusiasm. Regina admittedly found herself become increasingly interested in the blonde too, returning each question with equal curiosity, wanting to know more with every new piece of information she gathered.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment after they had discussed their favorite films, Emma having discovered Regina's secret love of Star Wars and making her promise to marathon it with her at some point. The blonde was biting her lip, seemingly deep in thought, and Regina wondered what her next question would be.

"Are you dating anyone?" Emma asked abruptly and turned to her. "I know nothing about your love life and I feel like you know so much about mine, I mean you've met quite a few of my, um." She paused and wrinkled her nose. "Romantic interests."

Regina snorted at that. Romantic interests. 'Met' was also a funny term for playing dorm room receptionist or that one time she had watched on as Emma had slipped her tongue into a girl's mouth whilst squeezing her ass. Regina felt heat rise in her cheeks at the memory. Emma could never know about that.

"No, I'm not." Regina said. "Dating anyone I mean."

"Nothing happen with that boring dude then?"

Regina thought about the almost kiss and the onslaught of messages, which had thankfully stopped since their conversation at Halloween.

"No." She said simply.

Emma smiled.

"Good. You were definitely too good for him."

"Do you really think so?" Regina asked, a little taken aback by Emma's reaction.

"Yeah, I didn't like the look of him one bit. And he was boring."

"He was." Regina grimaced.

"You deserve someone who interests you, someone you feel comfortable with, you know?"

Regina's lips curved into a small smile and she nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed by Emma's comments but pleasantly so. It felt nice to have someone tell her she deserved good things.

"Have you ever-." Emma began before digging her teeth into her lip, quickly shaking her head. "Nevermind, it's stupid."

"It's not stupid." Regina rushed to reassure her, placing a gentle hand just above the blonde's knee. "Whatever you want to ask me, go ahead."

Regina was surprised at how genuinely she meant that. She was so relaxed in Emma's company, she felt like there wasn't anything Emma could ask that would make her feel uncomfortable at this point

Emma inhaled deeply.

"Have you ever been with a woman?"

Okay, so maybe there was one thing.

Regina blinked. Swallowed. She quickly pulled her hand away.

"No." She admitted, staring down at her lap and cringing at the shakiness of her voice, her throat suddenly tight.

Emma took her hand again, giving it a brief, reassuring squeeze.

"Would… would you ever?" The blonde asked, a tenseness to her voice that matched Regina's.

Regina hesitated. She hadn't ever really thought about it. She had just dated men like everyone had expected her to. She hadn't considered the alternative, had never let herself even step foot in that avenue of thought.

"Forget it, I'm sorry, that was-"

"I don't know." Regina found herself saying, meeting Emma's eyes at the confession.

"Oh." Emma's expression was unreadable.

A silence washed over them, Regina finding the prolonged eye contact too much to bear and eventually looking away. She tried to work out what had even caused her to say that. She was straight, she hadn't ever questioned that. And yet, her answer had felt honest.

"I have one more question." Emma said, causing Regina to look up and meet her eyes once again.

The blonde grinned mischievously.

"Will you come and get ice cream with me tomorrow?"

All the tension in Regina's body left her in a rich, whole hearted laugh.

"Emma Swan, you are a terrible influence on me."

Emma's expression remained unchanged.

"Fine, I will get ice cream with you."

 **A/N: As always, thanks for all the support so far!**


	7. Chapter 7

"So, what's the story with you and Kathryn?" Emma asked as her and Regina collected their respective orders and sat down at the table nearest to the window. It seemed that now they had started getting to know each other, they couldn't stop.

Regina had kept to her word, much to Emma's delight, and gone with the blonde to get ice cream the following afternoon. Emma had spent the entire walk over to the parlor explaining to Regina in excessive detail why this place in particular was her absolute favorite, which the brunette found oddly endearing. She couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, even if she had her doubts as to just how life-changing a scoop of ice-cream could be.

After much debate, Regina had eventually chosen mint chocolate chip, a decision that Emma was incredibly supportive of, giving the brunette a brilliant grin and encouraging nod when she made the selection. Emma herself had gone for something called 'Rainbow Ripple', which was apparently her usual and hands-down the best option.

"What do you mean?" Regina responded, digging into her ice cream and bringing it to her lips. Emma watched on, her spoon hovering mid-air as she waited for Regina's reaction.

The brunette placed her own spoon in her mouth and hummed happily upon having her first taste. Emma's praise was admittedly well-deserved, this stuff was delicious.

"Good?" Emma asked, barely able to conceal her excitement.

"Yes."

"I told you."

Regina rolled her eyes but didn't argue, too intent on going back in for a second spoonful.

"Anyway, you and Kathryn." Emma said, tucking into her own ice-cream now that she had confirmation of Regina's satisfaction. "How did you guys become such good friends?".

"I… I went through a really hard breakup in freshman year." Regina began tentatively, sucking in a deep breath. "Kathryn was partnered up with me for a project in our history class and she was the first person to notice I was feeling down. I didn't have a lot of friends at that point and my roommate wasn't around much. The few times that she did catch me crying, she didn't even acknowledge it."

"I'm so sorry." Emma said. "That sounds awful."

"It was." Regina confessed, smiling sadly at the memory. "Anyway, Kathryn eventually managed to get me to talk about it and I was actually grateful to finally share it with someone, it took a lot of weight off my shoulders."

Emma nodded in understanding.

"We gradually became closer after that." Regina explained. "She was so supportive, I don't know what I would've done without her."

Emma's lips curved into a soft smile.

"She sounds like a great friend."

"She is." Regina nodded before pausing slightly. "When she's not driving me completely insane."

Emma chuckled and Regina smiled despite herself.

The blonde brought another spoonful of ice-cream to her mouth, lips enveloping the blue plastic. Regina observed her, heat coiling unexpectedly in the pit of her stomach when Emma removed the spoon and ran her tongue over it, licking it clean.

"About the break up." Emma said, causing Regina to tear her eyes away from the blonde's mouth and meet her eyes "Is there some dude out there I need to fight?"

Regina bit her lip to prevent her face from splitting into a grin. Something in her chest fluttered at Emma's protectiveness and the casual way she had asked the question, as if she'd have no problem with laying her hands on someone who hurt the brunette if she agreed.

"No, I'm sorry to tell you it was actually pretty amicable." Regina admitted, allowing her lips to twitch into a small smile. "We were childhood sweethearts but when I moved away for college, the distance was hard to adjust to. I loved him and we tried but it wasn't working."

"Shit, that's tough."

"Yeah. It took a while to get over."

"Have you dated anyone since then?" Emma asked, tongue darting across her lips to catch an imperceptible drop of ice-cream, having just eaten another spoonful. Regina's eyes followed the movement before she straightened up a little, shaking her head.

"No." She found it so easy to be honest with the blonde, there was never any hint of judgement. "I, um, I slept with this one guy for a little while back in sophomore year." She sighed. "Looking back, I think I was only doing it to prove to myself that I could, that I was wanted, desirable."

"That makes sense."

"Anyway." Regina exhaled, shaking her head. "Enough about me."

"Okay." Emma nodded, reaching across the table to squeeze the brunette's hand. Regina smiled gratefully and laced her fingers with the blonde's.

"Do you wanna try some?" Emma asked, pointing at her ice-cream.

"Sure." Regina agreed, her own was amazing after all and Emma had said this was even better.

Emma dug her spoon into the pink scoop, informing Regina that it was raspberry sorbet, and held it out to the brunette. Without hesitating, Regina parted her lips, allowing Emma to gently feed her the offered spoonful. She moaned quietly at the taste, not noticing the way Emma's eyes darkened at the sound. It was only when the blonde pulled the spoon away, her gaze flitting between Regina's eyes and lips did the brunette realize what had just occurred. She blushed, untangling her hand from Emma's.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Emma replied, voice a little rougher than usual.

Once they had finished their ice-cream, they decided to head back to the dorm. Regina had wanted to walk the long way home and whilst there was a chill in the air that must have developed while they were inside, it was November after all, Emma appeared not to mind and Regina decided it was worth it to make their outing last just a little longer.

"I have a question." Regina said as they strolled along. It was usually Emma who asked the questions, with Regina returning each one, but she felt a little braver after their conversation in the ice-cream parlor and besides, she had already talked far too much about herself for one day.

"Shoot." Emma replied.

"You said your parents just moved to Portland from Boston. Is that where you grew up? Boston?"

Emma shook her head.

"Not exactly."

Regina tilted her head curiously as Emma appeared to be debating something with herself. The blonde pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I grew up in the foster system so I was kinda all over the place. Mostly Massachusetts. I got fostered by this one couple when I was 15 and they ended up adopting me." She paused, turning to Regina and meeting her eyes. The brunette tried to convey her understanding without words, she didn't want to interrupt. "That's who I'm talking about when I say 'my parents'. It took a while for me to call them that but I'm happy with how things turned out."

"I'm glad." Regina smiled softly, the back of her hand brushing against Emma's. The gentle contact made her heart rate quicken ever so slightly.

"What was it like growing up?" The brunette asked before rushing to explain. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I just... I like learning about you."

"I like learning about you too." Emma smiled. "That's why I keep pestering you with all these questions. It's not just because I live to annoy you."

Regina smirked and nudged the blonde with her shoulder.

"To answer your question though, it wasn't great to be honest." Emma said and then shrugged. "Some places were better than others, I suppose. There was a lot of moving around, group homes and different families and stuff. In the end, I got lucky. I try to focus on that."

"That's understandable." Regina nodded. She wanted to say so much more, that she was sorry things hadn't been so great, that she was pleased things had worked out for her in the end. She didn't get the chance to, however, because as she was trying to figure out how best to put all of that into words, a brisk wind blew, going right through her and making her visibly shiver.

"Are you cold?" Emma asked, her eyes clouding over with concern, previous conversation forgotten.

"No, I'm fine." Regina lied, not wanting to admit how foolish she had been with her clothing choices. A cashmere jumper had evidently been the wrong decision.

Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced.

"You're cold." She stated.

Before Regina could argue any further, Emma was slipping out of her jacket and holding it out to the brunette.

"Put this on."

Regina took one look at the ghastly red pleather and laughed. It was hideous. It might be the blonde's staple item, honestly, she wore it almost every day, but no way would Regina be caught dead in that thing. The only person it suited was Emma, which irritated Regina to no end when she found herself thinking Emma looked good whilst wearing it.

"Put it on." Emma repeated.

"No, thank you."

"You're cold."

"I'm fine."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Take the damn jacket, Regina."

Regina huffed.

"Fine."

She snatched it out of the blonde's hands and slipped it on. It didn't actually do much to stop her feeling cold but there was something about wearing Emma's jacket, something about the way she had offered it to Regina without question, that warmed her from the inside out.

"Better?" Emma asked with a smirk.

"Won't you be cold?" Regina frowned, noticing that Emma now only had on a thin shirt.

"I'll live." The blonde shrugged and they continued walking.

* * *

A few days later, she was recalling the events of that afternoon to an extremely smug Kathryn.

"So, what you're telling me is that you two went on a date." The blonde said, eyebrow raised.

Regina blanched.

"What?"

"A date."

Regina shook her head furiously.

"It wasn't a date."

"She invited you to get ice cream with her." Kathryn explained slowly. "And then she gave you her jacket. That sounds like a date."

"It wasn't a date!"

"Who are you trying to convince here, Regina. Me or yourself?"

Regina took a deep breath in and out, trying to calm herself down. She didn't know what she was getting so worked up for. She knew where her and Emma stood. She was straight for god's sake. And Kathryn knew that too, surely. She wasn't going to let herself be wound up by the blonde.

"Kathryn." She said firmly. "It wasn't a date."

"If that's what you want to believe then okay." Kathryn held her hands up in defeat.

"Thank you." The brunette sighed.

Kathryn regarded her for a moment, her gaze searching, confused almost, like she was trying to read Regina's mind.

"How was your Thanksgiving anyway?" Regina asked, ignoring the odd look. "How's everyone back home?"

"Well." Kathryn said and then she launched into the ins and outs of her entire break. Regina listened closely, wanting to hear about her friend's weekend but also relieved for the change of topic. As Kathryn talked, however, she couldn't shake this odd niggling feeling in the back of her mind, thoughts of 'date' and 'Emma' that she couldn't quite silence.

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for the continued support! The next chapter is one of my favorites so far... go follow me on twitter ( lovesicksapphic), I'm planning on posting a little preview before next Sunday!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Happy Sunday! I'm a bit nervous about posting this chapter, we're starting to earn that M-rating. Hope you enjoy!**

It was pouring with rain and Regina was running as fast as she could, heeled boots thundering against the paved path as she hurried back to her dorm. As she approached the entrance, she pulled her access card from her pocket and pushed soaked hair from her face, a few strands still clinging to her cheeks. She swiped the card through the slot as soon as she reached the door, impatient to get inside and back to warmth and dryness.

When the heavy door finally slammed behind her, she breathed a deep sigh. She was utterly drenched. Drops of water rolled down her face and dropped from her hair and jacket, splashing onto the linoleum. Her tight black jeans were damp, sticking to her skin uncomfortably, and she groaned at the thought of having to peel the wet denim from her body once she made it upstairs. She dragged herself towards the elevator, exhausted from her sprint all the way across campus.

As she reached her floor and stepped out, she noticed a faint vibration coming from her bag. Her phone. She pulled it out and rolled her eyes at the name flashing up on the screen.

"Hello, mother." She answered, tone dry and unamused as she strutted down the hall to her room.

"Regina, darling. How are you?"

Her mother's voice was the last thing she needed to hear right now.

"Fine. I'm just outside my room, hold on." She pressed the phone between her shoulder and ear as she reached into her bag for her keys.

"I wanted to talk to you about Christmas, sweetheart." Her mother was saying as Regina turned the key in the lock, pushing open the door. "The thing is, Zelena and I-"

Regina's phone clattered to the floor.

The noise abruptly brought an end to the scene she was witnessing but it was too late, she had seen enough. There had been a very naked girl, yet another brunette, sat on the edge of Emma's bed, her head thrown back and her legs spread wide, wrapped around the shoulders of Regina's roommate. Said roommate had been knelt on the floor in front of the girl. Her face was hidden by the girl's thighs but it was obvious what she had been doing from the positioning, the look on the girl's face, the moans coming from the both of them, the hand tangled in blonde hair, and the way they sprang apart, color draining from their faces at the sound of Regina's phone hitting the floor.

A voice was calling out for Regina from her phone but she didn't hear it.

Her jaw hung open as the girl snapped her legs shut and grabbed the nearest item of clothing to hold over her bare chest. Emma rose to her feet and Regina didn't know where to look, the blonde dressed only in her underwear.

"Regina-" Emma began, her voice strained.

"I- I should go."

Regina stumbled backwards, almost tripping over her own feet in her hurry to get out of the room. Her head was spinning. She yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind her. A trembling breath escaped her as she leaned her head against the closed door. She realised that she was shaking. And that she had left her phone inside the room. She groaned and hit her head against the door. Today was not her day.

* * *

That evening, Regina's nerves were building rapidly within her as she waited for Emma to return home. She herself had waited hours to return to their room, freezing cold from her damp clothing by the time she had mustered up the courage to head back. Relief washed over her when she found the room empty on her return. Her phone, miraculously unscathed, had been moved to her desk, the notification of 3 missed calls from her mother screaming at her as she picked it up. She called her back immediately, only to be put in a foul mood by what she had to say.

The conversation had only added fuel to the fire raging within her after seeing Emma with that girl earlier. She wanted to throw something. Preferably something that would smash. She settled on a plate, snatching it off the side and hurling it at the wall. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as she'd hoped but she felt a little better for it. She swept up the shards of porcelain with a dustpan and brush and deposited them in the bin, realizing it had probably been more effort than it was worth. Then she gathered the things she needed for a shower and headed to the bathroom, keen to finally remove the sodden clothing from her body.

Once she was clean, dry, and had calmed herself down, she opened her laptop, channeling her remaining frustrated energy into the essay she was working on. After a few hours, however, the nerves kicked in and the longer she waited for Emma, the more anxious she became.

Finally, at around 8pm, the blonde returned.

"Hey." She said quietly as the entered the room.

"Hey." Regina echoed.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon them.

"Listen, Regina-"

"Emma, I-"

They began speaking at the same time, cutting themselves off with awkward smiles.

"You first." Regina gestured to Emma.

"I'm really sorry about earlier." The blonde said, her voice laced with guilt. "You shouldn't have had to see that. I thought you had class this afternoon, I'm sorry."

"It got cancelled." Regina explained.

Emma nodded, mouthing a quiet 'oh'.

"I shouldn't have freaked out like that. We're both adults." Regina said, telling herself as much as she was Emma. She shouldn't have freaked out. She shouldn't have felt angry. Or any of the other overwhelming emotions that she couldn't decipher and had shoved deep down inside of her.

"You were surprised, it's okay. I understand."

Surprised was one way of putting it.

"Yes." Regina decided that explanation was easier. She just wanted to forget about the whole thing. "Look, can we just… put this behind us?"

"Totally." Emma nodded. "As long as we're okay."

"We're okay." Regina confirmed, it wasn't exactly the truth but it was a necessary white lie that would allow them to move on.

Emma smiled, moving to sit beside Regina on the bed.

"So, was that your mom on the phone earlier?"

"Yeah." Regina sighed.

"Everything okay?"

"I guess."

Emma frowned and reached into Regina's lap to take her hand, shuffling closer to the brunette. It was becoming so normal for Emma to initiate physical contact, for her to breach the little bubble of personal space that Regina surrounded herself with. Regina hardly even questioned it anymore and she certainly didn't mind, welcoming the comforting touches.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Emma asked gently.

Regina hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Um, well, my mother informed me that her and my sister have decided to go skiing over the holidays. Without me. Which is fine." Regina exhaled and glanced up at the ceiling, feeling unwelcome tears start to prick her eyes. Apparently, her anger at the situation had dissolved into upset. Emma softly rubbed her thumb over the brunette's. "It's just. I've already booked my flights and I wouldn't even mind staying at the house on my own but my mother recently changed the locks and I don't have a new key yet so I wouldn't even be able to get in."

Regina laughed wetly, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall. What with the rain and seeing Emma with that girl and now this whole ordeal with her mother on top of that, everything had become too much and the dam had broken.

"Could she not leave you a key under the mat or with a neighbor? Or even send you it?"

"You'd think so. She told me not to be stupid though and that I should just stay with a friend if I was that upset about it or to just stay here and she'd refund me for my flights."

"Jeez."

"I don't even know who I could stay with though, I haven't really kept in contact with my high school friends. I suppose that's my own fault." She tried to be sarcastic but it was half-hearted, the self-deprecating laugh coming out closer to a sob. "And me being upset about it isn't even to do with not being at home or about the money but Christmas was my father's favorite time of year so as much as I dislike my mother, it's traditional for us to spend time as a family."

"That's understandable." Emma nodded.

"And I, I haven't been home since summer and if I don't go at Christmas, it could be spring break before I do." The tears were falling freely now. "I always visit his grave and bring him flowers when I go home and now I won't be able to and it'll be his birthday on the 23rd and I won't even get to visit him and it'll be so long before I do and-"

She was rambling, her voice shaky and punctuated with sobs.

"Hey, hey. It's okay."

Regina met Emma's eyes, her own watery and blurry by this point, and then she was being pulled into a hug. Her arms automatically wrapped around the blonde, burying her face into her neck. Emma simply held her, palms stroking up and down her back, as the brunette cried against her.

Being enveloped by Emma's arms, surrounded by the warmth of her body and the soft scent of her, brought Regina a sense of safety and calm. She gradually tried to get her breathing under control and when she felt a little steadier, she reluctantly pulled away. Emma's hands slipped to her waist, still holding her close.

"I got your shirt all wet." Regina observed quietly.

"That's okay." Emma's smile was so gentle that Regina found herself wanting to cry all over again.

"What do I do, Emma?" The brunette asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Emma cupped her cheek with one hand, stroking away the few stray tears with her thumb. Regina leaned into the touch.

"Stay with me."

The brunette blinked, pulling back slightly. She couldn't have heard her correctly.

"What?"

"Stay with me." Emma repeated. "Over Christmas."

Regina shook her head frantically.

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"It makes sense." Emma said. "I don't live too far away so you wouldn't have to cancel your flights and I could drive you to visit your father's grave. My parents wouldn't mind at all."

"Emma." Regina breathed, not sure how to respond to such kindness.

"What do you say? Christmas at mine?"

The brunette bit her lip. The offer was beyond tempting. It would solve all of her problems. Her heart was hammering in her chest at the thought of spending the holidays with the blonde and her family. It terrified and excited her all at once.

"Okay."

"Really?" The blonde's face lit up.

"Yes." Regina's lips twitched into a smile. "I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you but yes."

Emma was looking at her with a kind of awe-struck wonder.

"I'll go call my mom."

Regina nodded and then let out a shaky breath. What a bizarre turn of events.

* * *

Regina was laying on her bed, eyes trained to the ceiling. She brought a hand to her stomach to rest there but was confused to find that it was bare. She stroked the skin softly, becoming aware of another sensation trailing over her inner thighs. She looked down.

Blonde curls fell across her hips as she watched soft lips make their way higher and higher up her legs. She spread herself a little wider, welcoming them, feeling herself grow more desperate with each kiss.

Her back arched when the lips finally reached their destination, hands blindly reaching out to tangle themselves in those blonde curls. She released a guttural moan that she could hardly believe came from her.

She was aware of an acute need deep within her, more intense than anything she had ever felt before and she tugged on the blonde curls, needing more somehow. The blonde between her thighs seemed to be everywhere at once and Regina found she could hardly breathe.

"Emma." She whimpered.

And then the blonde curls tilted back to reveal those familiar bright eyes, clouded with lust as they met Regina's, and something inside of her exploded.

She woke with a start. Her breath was escaping her in heaving pants, her whole body trembling. She bolted upright, collapsing again in relief when she saw that Emma's bed was empty.

Regina stared at the ceiling in the semi-darkness. She tried to control her breathing, to push the dream from her mind. It had only been a dream after all. It didn't mean anything. But there was an ache between her thighs that refused to be ignored.

She bit her lip. She knew it would be impossible to get back to sleep in this state. Her body was wound so tight, she had to do something.

A hand slid down her stomach as she tried to silence the voice in her head screaming for her to stop. The hand continued, slipping into lace that she was sure was now ruined.

She fought to keep her eyes from rolling back at the wetness she found there.

It didn't take long before her hips were rocking, quiet whimpers tumbling from her lips and somehow, at some point, the image of that blonde between her thighs, eyes dark and determined, became the only thing she could see.

Her body tensed, hips leaving the bed as she clamped her bottom lip tightly between her teeth to keep from releasing the noise she could feel burning in her throat. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her until she collapsed back onto the bed, thighs trembling and chest heaving.

As she lay there struggling to catch her breath, one thing became clear. Sooner or later, she was going to have to deal with every confusing emotion she had ignored. Whatever this was, it refused to be repressed. And she had just agreed to spend the holidays with the object of these feelings. Fuck.

 **A/N: See you next Sunday and until then, follow me on twitter lovesicksapphic !**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Happy Sunday! Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

It was December 21st and Regina was sat in the airport, surrounded by festive music and decorations, watching families and friends embrace each other as their loved ones returned home for the holidays. She herself was waiting for Emma, who had flown home a few days earlier. Regina repeatedly told her that she would be fine taking the bus but the blonde refused, insisting that she would drive to the airport and pick her up.

Emma had been on Regina's mind a fair bit over the past few weeks. In fact, a _lot_ if she were being honest with herself. After the accidental interruption and subsequent plate smashing and crying into the blonde's arms, she was starting to think that there was more to her anger than homophobia and perhaps more to her feelings towards Emma than simply friendship, if the dreams were anything to go by.

Dreams plural. She'd had two more since the first one. One of them had been almost identical to the first except Emma was knelt beside the bed with Regina's thighs either side of her head, just like the scene the brunette had witnessed in real life. The other involved Regina pressed between Emma and the wall, the blonde's hand between her legs and her lips on her neck. That one had taken Regina a good couple of days to recover from.

Despite everything, Regina had vowed to keep things normal with Emma. Some days were harder than others, a blush warming her cheeks at mere eye contact with the blonde. For the most part, however, the feelings were easy to conceal, mostly because they terrified her to think about and so she ignored them as much as possible. Until memories of a dream returned, or Emma picked up her dumbbells, or gave Regina that sly smile, and she was reminded that things were not so simple.

"Regina!"

She looked up at the sound of her name and saw the woman she had just been thinking about all but running towards her. The blonde was beaming, her cheeks flushed from the cold, and Regina's heart fluttered at the sight of her.

"You got enough stuff there?" Emma said as she approached, pointing at the huge suitcase, weekend bag and handbag beside Regina.

"I need options." The brunette said emphatically.

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you with any of that?"

Regina dumped the weekend bag into Emma's arms with a smirk, the blonde's eyes widening at the weight of it.

"Since you so kindly offered."

"What the fuck is in here? Bricks?"

Regina rolled her eyes and picked up her handbag, lifting the handle of her suitcase with her other hand.

"Alright, let's do this."

The drive back to Emma's parent's house was an experience to say the least. Emma's car was a noisy, old, yellow thing that rumbled every time she changed gear or braked. The blonde referred to it as vintage, Regina thought 'death-trap' might be more appropriate. It was a relief when Emma finally pulled up outside the house.

The blonde hopped out, followed by Regina, and lifted the heavy case from the trunk. Regina averted her gaze to avoid making eye contact with those flexing arms. As they were gathering the bags to carry inside, the door opened and a small woman with dark, pixie-cut hair ran down the path.

"Emma, sweetie, leave those." She said to the blonde, swatting her hands away from Regina's bags.

Then she turned to the brunette and threw her arms around her in a tight hug. Regina's own arms were pinned to her sides awkwardly and she glared at Emma over the woman's shoulder as the blonde giggled to herself.

"You must be Regina!" The woman said breathlessly, presumably from having her lungs crushed against Regina's.

Regina nodded and smiled politely.

"I'm Mary Margaret, Emma's mom. It's so lovely to meet you!" The woman explained enthusiastically. "Come in, come in. Let David get the bags."

Then she hurried back inside and Regina stood there bewildered. She didn't think she had ever met someone so nauseatingly excitable in her entire life.

She felt a hand on her lower back and then there was a voice close beside her.

"She's a bit much, I know."

"You don't say." Regina muttered, shuddering as Emma chuckled lowly in her ear.

Once they made it inside, Emma led Regina up to her room. Regina didn't know what she had been expecting but she was pleasantly surprised. It was tidy and well-decorated, a double bed in the corner, a large desk, a closet and a framed picture of the New York skyline on the wall. It was so much homier than Regina's childhood bedroom, she noted.

"Feel free to put your stuff down wherever." Emma said. "I'm just gonna go help dad."

Regina nodded and awkwardly placed her handbag down beside the desk. When Emma disappeared downstairs, she took the opportunity to be a little nosy, wandering round and looking at each of the framed photographs on the various surfaces. Pictures of Emma as a teenager with people Regina didn't recognize, a couple with her mom, one of her in her high school graduation gown and cap, grinning from ear to ear.

At the sound of people coming up the stairs, she quickly moved to the bed, perching herself on the edge. A man walked through the door, setting her case down by the closet.

"Hi, I'm David." He said with a warm smile, holding a hand out to Regina.

"Regina." The brunette said and shook the offered hand. David seemed more reserved than his wife and for that Regina was grateful.

"Thanks, dad."

Emma appeared then, carrying Regina's weekend bag, which she set down beside the case.

"No problem, kiddo." David said and moved to exit the room. "Lunch will be ready in 5."

Emma nodded and David left, leaving Regina alone with the blonde once again.

"I put clean sheets on for you this morning by the way." Emma said after a moment. "You'll be sleeping in here and I'll take the couch."

Regina frowned.

"Emma, I'm not making you sleep on the couch for a week."

"Well, you're the guest so you get the bed."

"The bed is big enough for the both of us, don't be silly."

The truth was, Regina had been thinking quite a bit about their potential sleeping arrangements. She had assumed there would be space for her otherwise Emma wouldn't have offered but would there be a spare room? Would she take a couch or some kind of blow up bed? Would they sleep in Emma's bed together?

The latter option made Regina a little nervous, although she wasn't entirely sure why. She always shared Kathryn's bed if she stayed at hers, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. There had even been that time she had fallen asleep on Emma in her own single bed in October, although she tried not to think about that too much. Being sick had clearly shed her of her inhibitions.

"Regina. It's fine." Emma said, leaving no room for further debate. "The couch pulls out into a bed and it's perfectly comfortable. I'll be fine."

"Okay." Regina said quietly. Despite her nerves about sleeping beside Emma, she still felt guilty for kicking the blonde out of her own bed.

"There's clean towels in the closet." The blonde continued, evidently not as bothered by the situation as Regina, walking over to said closet and opening it to show the brunette. "Feel free to take a shower whenever you want."

"Thank you." Regina said.

It was starting to sink in that she was in Emma's house. She would be staying here, in the blonde's family home, for a whole week. Ever since she had agreed to stay with Emma, she had been trying to quash her nerves, wanting to be appreciative and grateful but now, after meeting Emma's parents and being here with the blonde, in her bedroom, she felt her stomach twist in apprehension.

"Hey." Emma smiled gently and placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, moving to sit beside her. "You are more than welcome here and I want you to feel comfortable, you know? So, if you're not or if there's anything I can do for you, let me know, okay?"

Regina nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat that had formed unexpectedly. How was it possible for Emma to know exactly what she needed to hear?

"Okay." Emma stood and held out her hand, inviting Regina to take it. "Shall we go and have some lunch?"

Regina nodded, a small smile forming on her lips as she took the blonde's hand and followed her downstairs.

Lunch wasn't an entirely unpleasant affair but Regina was still beyond grateful when Emma asked if they could be dismissed. It seemed Mary Margaret was just as, if not more, interested in getting to know Regina than Emma was and had asked her a million and one questions about college, home, her interests, her future plans and anything else she could think of.

Once they managed to escape back upstairs, Regina decided to take a shower, feeling less than clean after her travels. Emma leapt up to get some towels out for the brunette, whilst she herself dug around in her suitcase for the products she needed, and then led her to the bathroom, giving her a brief, and probably unnecessary but appreciated all the same, explanation of how the shower worked.

As the hot water washed over Regina's body, she felt herself gradually relax. This was just what she had needed. She washed her hair as quickly as she could, conscious that she was using up someone else's water, which was also being paid for by someone else. When she was finished, she shut the water off and stepped out, wrapping herself in the short, fluffy towel Emma had brought in for her and using the smaller towel to dry off her hair. It was then that she realized she was missing something.

She padded down the hallway to Emma's room and gently pushed the door open.

"Sorry, I forgot to take a change of clothes." She explained, gesturing to her suitcase. She could feel drips of water trickling down her chest from her damp hair. Emma simply stared, nodding blankly as she watched Regina crouch down to retrieve some clothes from her case. Regina felt Emma's eyes remain on her as she picked out a pair of black trousers and a clean, cable-knit sweater.

"Okay, back in a second." Regina said as she stood, Emma's intense gaze still not leaving her. The blonde nodded dumbly once again, dragging her eyes up to meet Regina's with a tight smile and then the brunette was out the door, confused by what had just transpired.

* * *

Later on that evening, Regina was sat in the kitchen, watching Emma cook pasta for them both. The blonde had admitted it was one of the few things she was capable of cooking without fearing she would set the house on fire. Regina had chuckled at that but hadn't minded, pasta was always a good option.

Emma's parents were out with some friends of theirs so it was a surprise when there was a ring at the doorbell. The blonde frowned and placed down the spoon with which she had been stirring the sauce.

"Could you keep an eye on everything?" She said to Regina, who nodded and hopped off the stool she was sat on to stand beside the stove.

As she picked up the spoon to take over where Emma had left off, she heard a loud squeal from the front door and a deep voice laughing and talking inaudibly. Regina wondered who it could be but she didn't have to wait long to find out as soon enough, Emma was dragging a man, no more than a few years older than herself, into the kitchen.

"August, this is my roommate, Regina." Emma grinned.

"It's good to meet you." August nodded at the brunette with a warm smile before turning to Emma with a raised brow. "I didn't know people still had roommates in senior year?"

"I know, our college is weird." Emma said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not all bad though. I got to meet Regina and she's pretty great."

The brunette blushed and ducked her head, missing the look that flashed across August's face at the interaction.

"I should probably introduce myself by the way." He said after a moment. "I don't want you to think Emma just goes around letting strange men into the house."

Regina looked up and chuckled at the comment. This man seemed nice, whoever he was.

"I'm Emma's brother." He explained and Regina's eyebrows rose, Emma had never mentioned having a brother. "Well. Kinda. Not technically."

Emma laughed beside him and shook her head.

"Mom and Dad looked after him for a couple of years while his father was in and out of hospital back when I first came to them." She explained. "He's the closest thing I have to brother I guess."

"I guess?" August repeated in mock indignation. "I came all the way here to surprise you and I get an 'I guess'."

Emma rolled her eyes and gave him a gentle nudge to the ribs.

"Shit, the pasta!" She suddenly remembered and rushed over to relieve Regina of her duties.

The three of them sat around the kitchen table, August having dumped his bags in the living room before joining them. Emma worried that she hadn't made enough for three people but he quickly reassured her that it was fine and that he'd eaten on his way over.

"So, how long you staying for?" The blonde asked as she tucked into her pasta. It was nowhere near as bad as she had warned Regina it would be, although it was hardly a difficult dish to mess up, which she supposed had been the point.

"I leave on the 26th." August replied. "I wanted to spend Christmas with you guys but I gotta get back to work after I'm afraid."

"Where are you staying?"

"Here."

"Oh."

"Is that a problem?" August said, looking confused. "Mary Margaret said I could take the couch because you and Regina would be sleeping together."

Regina almost choked on her spaghetti at his phrasing but fortunately, neither of the other two noticed.

"Well, I thought Regina would want the bed to herself so I-"

"It's fine." Regina interrupted, not wanting to cause any trouble. "I don't mind sleeping with you." Her cheeks reddened and she rushed to explain. "I mean, I don't mind sharing a bed with you. It is your bed after all."

"See." August said with a smirk. "Not a problem."

Regina smiled politely and returned to her meal, Emma doing the same after a moment of hesitation. Thankfully, the rest of the evening passed without any more conversational choking hazards and after a while, the three of them were saying their goodnights and parting ways to get ready for bed.

Soon enough, Regina found herself lying beside Emma in the dark. The bed was more than big enough for the both of them, in fact Regina found she could spread out without so much as bumping into Emma.

Her mind was racing, thinking over the events of the day. Meeting Emma's parents, August's surprise visit, the way the blonde had stared when she had entered the room in just her towel. Something inside of her stirred at the memory. There was an intensity in her eyes that Regina hadn't ever witnessed there before. It didn't make her uncomfortable, in fact quite the opposite, it made her skin prickle and a heat settle deep in her stomach. It reminded her almost of the way the Emma from her dreams looked at her. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" Came a quiet voice from beside her. She hadn't realized the blonde was still awake. At her slight hesitation, Emma shifted closer. In the dim light from the street lamps outside, seeping through the edges of the curtains, Regina saw Emma open her arms and jerk her head slightly, gesturing for Regina to move closer.

The brunette's heartbeat picked up instantaneously, hammering against her ribs as she moved, as if on autopilot, into the waiting arms of the blonde.

"Is this okay?" Emma whispered and Regina nodded, hoping she couldn't feel the way her body was thrumming.

It wasn't long before Emma fell asleep, her breath coming out deep and even as she tucked Regina's head under her chin. The steady breaths calmed Regina's racing heart and she felt her own eyes begin to drift close. She buried her face further into Emma's neck and let sleep finally take over.

 **A/N: Thanks so much for all the love and support! Follow me on twitter: lovesicksapphic**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Happy Sunday, hope you enjoy!**

Regina woke slowly the following morning, drowsy from the depth of her sleep. The first thing she became aware of as she gradually came to was a warm body wrapped around her, a thigh slipped between her own and a firm hand resting just under her shirt against her stomach, holding her close. Emma was breathing softly behind her, gentle puffs of air tickling the back of Regina's neck and making her shudder slightly.

At Regina's stirring, Emma's grip tightened, her hand sliding upwards, thumb now brushing the underside of the brunette's breast. Regina froze, breath caught in her throat. Heat began to coil deep in the pit of her stomach, tugging tighter and tighter with every whisper of breath against her neck.

Emma's thumb stroked once. Twice. Regina bit her lip, feeling goosebumps erupt across every inch of her skin. Her breathing became shallow as the heat dropped lower, an ache beginning to form between her legs just from the mere presence of Emma's hand on her body.

The blonde's thumb rubbed at Regina's skin once again, missing where she was dangerously sensitive by mere millimeters. The brunette whimpered. Her hips unconsciously twitched, longing to grind down on the thigh pressed between them.

Regina's body was taut, clenching with the effort not to move, to writhe, to lose herself in this moment. It was too much. Regina suddenly felt anxiety creep into her mind, a fear that Emma would be repulsed, or at least panicked, if she woke up in their current position.

The blonde would never consciously do this. It felt wrong that Regina was allowing it, enjoying it even. And with that, she reluctantly slipped out of Emma's grip, the blonde murmuring an unconscious protest at the movement, and began to get herself ready for the day.

* * *

Regina later discovered that the day would involve a surprise for her. Emma drove them into town at around 4pm, the sun already hanging low in the sky, and Regina feared for her life throughout the entire short journey. She still didn't trust that 'vintage' yellow car.

The surprise element of this trip was also cause for concern. She had asked Emma multiple times where she was being taken, accusing her of kidnapping when the blonde simply laughed and told her to wait and see.

Eventually, they pulled into a parking garage and Emma led her out into the streets until they reached a huge open air ice-rink. It was almost dark now, the sounds of Slade and Mariah Carey playing faintly into the night and Regina took a moment to drink in the fairy lights strung up and the stalls in the style of a German Christmas market dotted around.

"Emma." Regina said, turning to the blonde with barely concealed excitement. "This is wonderful."

"It's cute isn't it." Emma grinned, looking almost proud. Regina wondered how long she had been planning to bring her here. "Come on."

Emma offered her a gloved hand and she took it without hesitation, following the blonde into the main building.

They purchased their tickets, Regina refusing to let Emma pay for hers too, handed in their bags and shoes to the coat check, and collected their skates, before settling down on a couch beside the window.

"I have a confession." The brunette said quietly as she looked out onto the rink. She hadn't wanted to tell Emma, had thought she might be able to get away with it. The surprise was so sweet and she could tell Emma was excited so she hadn't wanted to ruin anything.

Emma placed a gentle hand on her thigh.

"What is it?" She asked, her expression concerned.

"I, um." Regina blushed and smiled awkwardly. "I'm really bad at skating."

Emma let out a relieved sigh and shook her head, chuckling quietly.

"You had me panicking for a second there." She said, squeezing Regina's thigh softly. "Don't worry though, I'll look after you."

"Yeah?" Regina smiled, grateful.

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty good." Emma smirked. "Not to brag or anything."

As it turned out, Emma was not bragging. Not at all. She was incredible at skating, moving across the ice effortlessly, even gliding backwards at one point, talking to Regina as she did so. The brunette, however, spent the first 20 minutes of their session clinging to the side of the rink.

"Let go." Emma tried to encourage her, skating alongside her and holding out a hand. "Hold my hand and I'll pull you around."

"I can hardly stand without falling." Regina whined.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." Regina said without question.

"Then take my hand, I promise I won't let you get hurt."

Regina sighed.

"Okay." She said, taking the offered hand and letting Emma pull her away from the edge.

Regina kept her feet still, focusing only on keeping herself upright, whilst Emma skated forwards, moving Regina too as she did so. This wasn't so bad, Regina thought. It was worth it to see Emma smile. The blonde was beaming as she dragged Regina along, spinning herself around occasionally to take both of Regina's hands and glide backwards, before twisting back round to skate alongside her.

It was all going a bit too well, however, and when someone whizzed past Regina at full speed, she lost her balance, falling onto her ass with a thump. Emma stopped immediately.

"Fuck! Are you okay?" She asked, reaching down to pull Regina back up.

"You broke your promise." Regina pouted and scrambled to get back on her feet.

"I'm sorry." Emma said, sounding genuinely guilty.

Regina tried to grab her hand to hoist herself up but she couldn't get herself steady and suddenly, Emma was falling too. Her palms slammed either side of Regina's head, saving her from landing completely on top of the brunette. The blonde's forehead was almost touching hers, breath warm against her lips.

Neither of them moved for a moment, their eyes locked as Regina remained still underneath Emma. The blonde's weight felt solid above her and she almost wished she could stay like this, safe beneath that strong body.

After a moment, however, she managed to gather herself enough to move. She tried to wiggle out from beneath Emma, stopping however as she realized the full awkwardness of their position. She thought the situation she had found herself in that morning had been bad but this was somehow infinitely worse.

This time, the blonde's thigh was not just between her legs but pressed tightly against her and as she moved to get up, she unintentionally rubbed herself along the firm muscle with a poorly stifled moan.

Emma must have assumed the noise was of pain because she leapt off of her, mumbling an apology as she got to her feet. She then reached out for Regina again and the brunette carefully took her hand, pulling herself up as steadily as she could.

"Sorry." Emma repeated. Her cheeks were pink from more than just the cold.

"It's okay." Regina reassured her breathlessly. "Shall we try again?"

Emma smiled and took her hand and then they were off again.

After a while, Regina felt almost confident in her abilities. To stand upright, at least. Feeling a little brave, she called for Emma to slow down.

"I want to try and skate on my own." She said, tongue come out to wet her lips nervously.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked but she was smiling brightly.

Regina nodded and the blonde released her hand. She skated a little way forwards and then turned to Regina, holding her arms out to her and beckoning her encouragingly.

"You've got this." She called. "I believe in you."

Regina felt a rush of warmth at the words, pressing her lips together to keep from grinning. Okay, she told herself. You can do this. She nodded determinedly.

Getting started was the most difficult part and she felt herself wobble as she tried to push off from the ice. Emma kept smiling at her though, her arms open and waiting and Regina tried again until finally, she was moving. She shuffled forwards, her legs shaky beneath her as she picked up a little speed.

"I'm doing it!" She exclaimed, laughing in disbelief.

And then she was gliding, moving closer and closer to Emma until she fell into the blonde's arms. Emma managed to keep them upright, hugging Regina to her tightly. She pulled away just enough to meet Regina's eyes, beaming at the brunette.

"You did it." Emma breathed, her face mere inches from Regina's.

"I had an excellent teacher." Regina said with a warm smile.

Emma laughed and pulled Regina back into her arms.

* * *

When they returned to the house later on that evening, breathless from laughter and bantering back and forth as they hung up their coats and took off their shoes, Mary Margaret, David and August eyed them suspiciously from the living room.

"You girls have a nice time?" David asked.

"We did." Emma said, smile never faltering. "We went ice-skating and Regina did so well!"

Regina felt heat rise in her cheeks and she quickly shook her head.

"Emma was much better than me, I only managed to skate by myself a little bit at the end." She admitted shyly.

"Yeah but you improved so much!" Emma said, taking her hand. For a moment, the two of them forgot they had an audience. The blonde continued, her voice softer. "I'm so proud of you."

Regina's heart clenched in her chest, her stomach erupting into somersaults at the quiet comment.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"So." August cleared his throat, bringing the two of them back to reality. "You wanna watch a movie with us?"

Emma looked to Regina for an answer.

"Sure."

August nodded and patted the couch beside him as Emma's parents took up the other one. Emma let Regina sit in the corner and placed herself in the middle. August nudged her with his shoulder, raising a brow at her and Emma just blushed and shook her head. Regina frowned at the silent conversation, wondering if there was some kind of inside joke she was missing out on.

"Any preference for a movie, Regina?" August asked, pulling Regina from her thoughts.

"Um, no, not really." She said, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "Something Christmassy perhaps?"

"Something Christmassy it is." August nodded with a smile and turned back to the TV, searching for the holiday category.

Emma placed an upturned palm on Regina's thigh, causing the brunette to look down. She wriggled her fingers in encouragement and Regina smiled, bringing her hand to Emma's and linking them together. Emma squeezed gently and Regina looked up, meeting her eyes with a shy smile.

The excitement of the evening had taken it out of Regina more than she realized. At some point, she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she heard Emma's voice calling her name quietly and her eyes fluttered open to see the credits of Home Alone playing. Her head was resting on Emma's shoulder, their fingers still intertwined, and when she yawned and sat up, Emma was watching her with the most gentle expression.

"Hey." She smiled, brushing a strand of hair from Regina's face. The brunette's chest fluttered, instantly reminded of the first time Emma had done that. They had come so far since then. "Do you wanna head up? I'll be up in a minute."

Regina nodded, she couldn't believe how tired she was. She made her way upstairs and got ready for bed, feeling like she could fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow. As she finally crawled into bed, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. There were two voices, one definitely Emma's, she would recognize it anywhere, and one slightly less clear but she was almost certain it was August.

They stopped just outside the room, the door slightly ajar, and Regina was able to hear the conversation more clearly.

"What's going on with you and Regina then?" August asked, his voice hushed but still audible.

"August, don't." Emma sighed.

"I'm just curious." He said defensively, pitch rising ever so slightly.

"There's nothing going on."

"That's not what it looks like to me."

She could hear Emma huffing and imagined her rolling her eyes.

"We're just friends."

"Right." August said, clearly not believing her. Regina didn't even know if she believed that anymore. She didn't know what they were but 'friends' didn't sound right. It was odd. Underwhelming. And she was pretty sure friends didn't react to each other's mere touch the way she did to Emma's.

"August." Emma said, impatience clear in her tone.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't."

"Okay." August sighed, clearly done with arguing. "Well, whatever you guys are, she makes you happy, doesn't she? I can see that."

"Yeah." Emma said and Regina could hear the smile in her voice. "She does."

Regina's heart soared, a burst of light coursing through her veins. Her face split into a grin and she smiled at the ceiling, not even trying to contain her joy.

She heard Emma and August say their goodnights and then the door was being pushed open and she forced her lips into a more neutral expression. Emma wordlessly gathered her pajamas and disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.

Regina waited patiently, not wanting to fall asleep before she got back. Not that she would've been able to, her heart still beating wildly.

When Emma returned, she closed the door quietly behind her before crossing the room and climbing into bed. She slipped under the covers and when Regina felt the mattress dip, she moved closer. Without speaking, she wrapped an arm across Emma's middle, tucking herself into the blonde's side. Emma automatically reached an arm around her, holding her close, and then there were fingers combing through dark hair and Regina sighed contently.

"Goodnight, Regina." Emma whispered.

 **A/N: We're getting there, slowly. Thank you for all the love so far and especially on the last chapter! Feel free to follow me on twitter (lovesicksapphic).**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Happy Sunday! The song mentioned in this chapter is 'I Want To Know What Love Is' by Foreigner and I would highly recommend listening to it while you read for that full experience, ya know? Anyways, enjoy!**

When Regina awoke the next morning, it was with a sinking feeling in her chest. She was grateful that Emma had kept her so busy yesterday, not giving her a chance to dwell too much on the inevitable sadness that shrouded her around this time of year. Today, however, she knew that nothing could keep those feelings at bay.

She sighed and rolled over, expecting to see blonde curls but instead finding the bed empty. Her heart sank for an entirely different reason. Fortunately, she didn't have to question Emma's whereabouts for long as moments later the blonde appeared at the door carrying a tray of food and juice.

"Hey." She said as Regina sat up and ran a hand through messy waves. "I'm glad you're up. I made you breakfast."

The blonde raised the tray to emphasize her statement.

"Emma, that's so sweet." Regina smiled softly. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Emma insisted, moving towards the bed and placing the tray on Regina's lap.

Regina looked down at the offering, taking in the bagel and fruit and scrambled eggs and orange juice. She honestly didn't know what she had done to deserve the attention Emma gave her; the surprises, kind words and affection foreign to her but appreciated nevertheless.

"Thank you."

"I made you coffee too but I couldn't fit everything." Emma nodded to the full tray. "I'll go grab it."

She disappeared out the door and returned a minute later, bear claw in one hand and mug in the other.

"Is that your breakfast?" Regina glanced between Emma and the, admittedly delicious looking, pastry. She raised a brow.

"Yeah!" The blonde grinned, taking a bite as she placed the mug on the beside cabinet and sat down beside Regina. "It's so good, want some?"

"I don't know how you stay in such good shape." Regina muttered.

"You think I'm in good shape, huh?"

The brunette rolled her eyes and looked away, suddenly very interested in a strawberry as she tried to hide her blush.

"Pass me my coffee, please." Regina said when she felt able to meet Emma's eyes again.

"Sure."

"Ugh. Snow White, really?" Regina grimaced as she took the mug from the blonde, able to see the decoration now that she held it up close. The Disney princess was painted upon the pale blue porcelain, surrounded by butterflies and flowers and sparkles. Hideous.

"It's my mom's. She loves her." Emma explained. "You not a Snow White fan?"

Regina wrinkled her nose and the blonde laughed.

"She's ghastly." The brunette said as she lifted the ugly thing to take a sip. The coffee was just how she liked it. "I'm more of an Evil Queen girl myself."

"I can see that." Emma smirked.

Regina glared at her over the rim of the mug.

They settled into a comfortable silence after that, tucking into their respective breakfasts. Regina knew she'd need her energy, visiting her father was always emotional, especially on this day, and it would require strength to get through it. She thought back to the first couple of years she had spent his birthday and Christmas without him, how raw her grief felt and how she hardly ate anything during those weeks. She observed the now empty plates before her. Perhaps she was healing better than she thought.

As if reading her mind, although it was probably obvious there was only one thing on it, Emma spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sad but okay, I guess." Regina shrugged. "I think it'll hit me most when we get there."

Emma nodded.

"It's okay to be sad."

Regina snorted.

"My mother would disagree."

"Your mother's a dick."

Regina's lips curved into a smile.

"True."

Emma placed a hand on Regina's pajama-clad thigh and gave a gentle squeeze.

"I mean it though. It's okay to be sad. Obviously, it's good to heal and move on with your life, I don't want you to be sad all the time. But, you know, letting yourself feel for one day is okay. Holding it all in won't do you any won't do you any favors." Emma explained. "And whatever you feel, I won't judge you."

Regina swallowed against the lump that had formed in her throat.

"That means a lot. Thank you."

Emma smiled softly, fingers brushing along the brunette's thigh in delicate circles. A calming warmth spread through Regina's veins at the gentle touch.

"I was thinking when you're ready, we could drive to the florist just outside town and then go see your dad. I think the drive's about an hour and a half."

"That sounds perfect." Regina nodded. "Thank you for doing this, Emma. And for letting me stay."

"Anytime." The blonde replied, fingers never stopping their movements.

* * *

The florist Emma took her to was a quaint, little place filled to the brim with flowers of all shapes, colors and smells. Regina was almost unsure where to start, used to putting together something from the abundance of flowers in her own garden. The owner, a lady named Cynthia, was just as sweet, however, and helped Regina pick out a beautiful selection of both flowers she would usually bring from the garden and a few others she was less familiar with that Cynthia informed her were symbolic of remembrance.

As Cynthia was telling her the meaning of pink carnations, Regina heard her cell phone ring in her pocket. She knew who it was without even checking.

"Sorry, I've got to take this." She said as she answered the call, feeling a little guilty for interrupting Cynthia's poetic explanation. The woman just nodded in understanding, giving Regina a reassuring smile.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hi, darling." Came the response on the other end. "How are you?"

Emma, who had previously been keeping herself entertained by wandering round smelling the various flowers, which was far more endearing than Regina would ever admit, looked over as Regina answered the call. Her questioning look prompted Regina to mouth 'mother' and the blonde nodded in understanding.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Wonderful, thank you. Zelena and I have just stopped for some lunch and a glass of wine. It's beautiful here, you should've joined us."

"That would've required an invitation."

"Oh, sweetheart. Don't be like that. We assumed you didn't want to come."

Regina stayed silent. She really didn't want to get into an argument right now.

"Anyway, I just wanted to check in with you. I know how you get upset on your father's birthday. You're not upset are you darling?" There was an insufferably patronizing undertone to her voice that irritated Regina beyond belief. Not that she would expect any better from her mother.

"I'm fine." She replied bluntly.

"Are you at college?"

"No, I told you I'm staying with Emma."

"Oh yes, that's right. The roommate." Her mother said and Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. "How is she? Are you having a nice time?"

Regina looked over to the girl in question, who had taken to chatting with Cynthia whilst Regina was busy, her eyes bright as ever as she laughed at something the florist was saying. Regina felt a flutter in her chest at the sight.

"She's well. We're having a good time."

There was some noise on the other end of the line, a voice in the background piping up.

"Zelena would like a word."

Regina didn't get a chance to say anything in response before her sister was chirping down the phone.

"Hi, sis! How's it going? I miss you."

"I miss you too." Regina replied. Her sister was far more bearable than her mother and they had actually gotten along well at various points in their lives. Recently, however, Zelena had become closer with their mother and taken a vested interest in Regina's painfully dry love life, both issues causing Regina to pull away from the girl. She did miss her though, she was good company on her own and when she wasn't cross examining Regina like a witness in court.

"Listen, I've got to go." Regina said, wanting to wrap this conversation up and get back to her day. "I'm just choosing some flowers to take to Daddy."

"Alright. We must have a proper catch up soon though. Say hi to Daddy for me!"

"I will."

They said their goodbyes and then Regina was passed back to her mother.

"We've got to go too, darling. Our food's here." The woman said. "I'll call you again on Christmas Day if I get the chance."

"Okay, talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye darling. And please try not to get all emotional today. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of Emma."

"Yes, mother. Goodbye."

She hung up abruptly. After taking a deep breath, she walked over to where Emma and Cynthia were discussing the tulips in the window of the florist.

"Hey." She said, forcing a lightness into her voice. Emma, of course, saw right through the facade and rested a gentle hand on Regina's arm.

"You okay?" She asked, eyes searching the brunette's.

Regina nodded and turned to Cynthia to continue where they left off before she allowed herself to be swept up in Emma's gaze, which would most likely lead to her crying in the blonde's arms in the middle of the store.

Once Regina had paid and thanked Cynthia for her help, her and Emma returned to the car. Regina was surprised to find she was warming to the thing and was actually looking forward to their road trip in it, although that feeling might have been more related to the company than the car itself.

"You sure you're okay?" Emma asked as they put on their belts.

"I'm fine." Regina forced her lips into a smile. "Let's go."

Emma nodded and instead of pushing the brunette further, turned the key in the ignition and brought the car rumbling to life. As they pulled onto the interstate, Emma lifted a wire from the console and offered it to Regina.

"Wanna put on some music?" She asked, glancing away from the road for a second to meet the brunette's eyes.

"I thought you hated my music taste." Regina raised a brow, recalling the time Emma had come home and asked what on earth she was listening to.

"Only when you listen to that classical bullshit." Emma wrinkled her nose.

"It helps me concentrate!" Regina said defensively.

"Put on some of the other stuff you like." Emma laughed. "Fleetwood Mac or something."

"How do you know I like Fleetwood Mac?" Regina frowned as she took the wire from the blonde.

"You sing along sometimes."

"I do not." Regina scoffed, her cheeks becoming flushed.

"You do." Emma replied with a grin. "It's cute."

Flustered by the compliment and the embarrassment of Emma having heard her sing, Regina said nothing more and instead hit shuffle.

They settled into a comfortable silence that wasn't broken until around twenty minutes later when a song began playing that had the blonde instantly smiling.

"I like this one." Emma said. "This is the song that was playing when I first met you."

Regina turned to face her, taken aback by the comment.

"You remember that?" She asked softly.

"Of course."

Regina stared, almost in awe.

" _In my life, there's been heartache and pain_." Emma began singing along and Regina was surprised to discover that the blonde had a beautiful voice, another one of her secret talents apparently. Regina wondered how many more she was yet to learn.

" _I wanna know what love is_." Emma continued, voice soaring over the noise of the car. " _I want you to show me."_

Regina watched on, unable to tear herself away, until they reached they were almost at the chorus again and Emma turned to her.

"Sing with me."

The brunette's eyebrows rose and she let out a short laugh.

"Absolutely not."

"Come onnn." Emma encouraged, a slight whine in her voice.

"No."

"Please? For me?" The blonde pouted and then began singing again, picking the tune back up easily. " _To change this lonely life_ … Ready?"

" _I wanna know what love is."_ Regina joined in, surprising herself as much as Emma. The blonde grinned as they both continued. " _I want you to show me."_

The two of them sang together for the rest of the song, their voices rising and rising until they were belting the words out. Emma threw her head back dramatically, Regina never stopping her singing even as she laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

When the song finished, their cheeks were flushed with exhilaration and Regina felt more alive than she had done in years. Emma turned to her, her smile so bright it reached her eyes and despite the flowers sitting on her lap, Regina forgot herself for a moment.

* * *

They reached the graveyard around an hour or so later and as Emma swung into the parking lot, the excitement of the road trip quickly faded. After the blonde shut the engine off, the two of them sat in silence for a moment.

"Will you come with me?" Regina asked quietly, tentatively meeting Emma's eyes.

"Yeah, of course." The blonde nodded and Regina gave her a small, grateful smile.

They walked along the trodden path through the vast field of headstones until they reached the top of the hill. It was colder here as they were completely exposed to the winter wind and Regina tugged her coat tighter against herself. She pointed to a small building a little way down the other side of the hill.

"That's my father's." She said softly.

"Wow." Emma whispered and then Regina began walking again, the blonde close behind her.

When they reached the crypt, the brunette produced two keys from her pocket, much to Emma's surprise.

"I may not have keys to my own house but I do have them for here." Regina explained. The keys were attached to a necklace her father had given her and she had always kept it with her other jewelry. Her mother and sister stored their keys together with all the other keys in the house but Regina had wanted hers for herself and had even taken them to college with her. It was a choice she had made for sentimental reasons, always wanting to keep him close but right now, it was actually proving to be a very useful decision.

Regina unlocked the door and then stepped inside, running her hands along the casket as she walked around its perimeter. She noticed that Emma was still standing outside.

"You can come in." Her voice was gentle. "You'll get cold standing out there."

"It's fine, I don't wanna intrude or anything." Emma said, digging her hands into her pockets.

"Please, come in." Regina said a little more firmly.

Thankfully, Emma acquiesced this time and moved to stand awkwardly beside Regina.

"It's okay." The brunette reassured her, sensing her discomfort. "I want you here."

Regina had never brought anyone here before, not even Daniel, her childhood sweetheart. Strangely though, she found that she didn't mind Emma being here at all. It was true what she had said, she wanted her here. She felt better with the blonde by her side.

Regina began speaking to her father, laying the flowers down on top of the casket and telling him the story of each one just as Cynthia had explained to her. She confessed that she missed him, swallowing against the lump in her throat as she did so. She told him that she was sorry her mother and sister couldn't be there but that Zelena said sent her love. She told him about college, how she was in her final year now and that she wanted to make him proud.

"This is my roommate for senior year by the way, her name is Emma." She said, intertwining her fingers with the blonde's.

Emma had been listening so patiently, standing by her side the whole time and not judging her for speaking aloud to her father's casket, something Regina had done ever since his funeral when she discovered it was the most cathartic way of venting her emotions and helping her feel connected to him.

"She's been a good friend to me this year, Daddy." Regina continued. "I think you'd like her."

Emma squeezed her hand and they exchanged gentle smiles, Regina noticing the way the blonde's eyes shimmered ever so slightly. She leaned her head against Emma's shoulder and Emma let go of her hand, only to wrap an arm around her waist instead. They stayed like that as Regina began to speak again, only moving apart when the brunette finally decided it was time to go.

 **A/N: Updates might not be as regular for the next few weeks because I'm stupidly busy and I'd rather take my time writing something I'm proud of than rush for the sake of having weekly updates. I will do my best to stick to the Sunday schedule but I'm just letting you all know in case I don't! Follow me over on twitter ( lovesicksapphic) and I'll try to keep you guys updated. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Happy Sunday! In a surprising turn of events, this chapter is a biggie. I thought I wasn't going to have time to write but somehow I produced a whole 5k. I really hope you guys enjoy it!**

After the intensity of the previous day, Christmas Eve got off to a slow start with Regina waking later than usual and Emma leaving for a run around 11, which Regina thought was insane. The blonde was insistent, however, emphasizing how long it had been since she'd done some real exercise. 2 days without putting those muscles to use was apparently a lifetime in her eyes.

While she was gone, Regina dragged herself out of bed and into the shower to begin her day. The long sleep and hot water were a pleasant combination and she found herself experiencing that rare and wonderful sensation of being genuinely well-rested as she sat down at Emma's desk to begin her makeup.

The advice Emma had given her yesterday was playing on her mind and she realized that, without actively trying, she had managed to follow it.

She had actually let herself _feel_. She had allowed the sadness to wash over her in aching waves but, importantly, she had not let it consume her for once. Instead of having that sadness loom over her for days on end, she had embraced it, which ultimately gave her the freedom to move on. Today was a new day.

Emma returned after about half an hour in a fluster of breathlessness, flushed skin and bright eyes. Regina would never understand how exercise looked so good on her when anyone else would be red in the face and repulsively sweaty in the same situation.

"How was your run?" Regina asked as she uncapped her lipstick.

Emma took a swig from her water bottle before placing it on the side.

"So fucking cold." She chuckled. "It was good though. I needed that."

"Your muscles holding up okay after their return from such a long hiatus?" Regina joked.

Emma lifted her top to reveal her glistening abs, which was entirely unnecessary and a _lot_ considering Regina had been awake for barely an hour. The blonde patted her stomach affectionately.

"I think they're alright."

Regina went to roll her eyes but was stopped by Emma's next comment.

"You look beautiful by the way." She said casually, moving past the brunette to grab a change of clothes.

"Oh." Regina said, surprised. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

And then she was gone again, disappearing into the bathroom.

Regina sighed and sat back in her chair. There was a strange feeling lingering at the edges of her mind. It was right there and yet she couldn't grab onto it, couldn't bring it close enough to decipher. It was like having a constant flickering in the peripherals of your vision and not being able to work out the source.

* * *

Breakfast that morning turned out to be a full family affair, August included. Regina didn't mind though, it was actually quite entertaining. August's humor was remarkably similar to Emma's and the two of them spent more time winding each other up and snorting with laughter than actually eating. David and Mary Margaret didn't seem to mind their childishness either, watching on with bemused expressions as Emma threatened August with a punch for the fourth time since sitting down.

Despite protests from everyone else around the table, Regina stood to help clear up once they were all finally finished with their food.

"What does everyone want to do this afternoon?" Mary Margaret asked as Regina handed her another plate to put in the dishwasher. Just as she did so, August walked in with the sauces to put back in the refrigerator.

"Why don't we play a game or something?" He said, having overheard the previous question.

"What kind of game?" Emma asked. She was leaning against back the counter, fingers curled around the edges, radiating that particular kind of confidence that got Regina's heart pumping ever so slightly faster.

"A board game. We've still got Monopoly buried somewhere round here, haven't we?"

Regina froze at the mention of the M word. Her mother had banned that game from her house after the last time they had played it as a family five years ago and it had ended in Regina and her sister screaming at each other followed by the brunette storming out of the house.

Please say no, Emma.

"Oh my god, yes!" The blonde gasped in delight.

Great.

"It's on the shelf in the study, I'll go get it." Emma continued, a huge grin plastered on her face. "This is such a great idea."

As she moved to get up, she stopped for a moment to rest a gentle hand on Regina's shoulder.

"You up for Monopoly?"

"Yes, of course." Regina said with a tight smile. How bad could it be?

* * *

The answer turned out to be very bad. Extremely bad. In fact, bad might not even be a strong enough term.

"Holy shit, Regina. I never knew you were so competitive."

Regina glared at the blonde who had made the comment. They weren't even that far into the game and Regina was already seething with anger at every slightly offensive move anyone else made. She was on a mission to win this thing and she was taking no prisoners.

"Just take your turn, Emma." She snapped.

The blonde raised a brow but did as she was told and so it went on.

Mary Margaret went bankrupt first, then David, and then eventually Emma too. The blonde huffed and threw herself back in her chair at her defeat. Regina, however, had zero sympathy. She was too far gone by this point, single focused and determined.

"Just me and you now, huh." She smirked at August, a dangerous glint in her eye.

Emma was watching her, jaw hanging open.

"You're kinda scary when you're angry, you know that right?"

"I know." Regina replied without hesitation. She turned to August. "I'm going to end you."

"Jesus fucking Christ." Emma muttered under her breath.

"Would anybody like a drink?" Mary Margaret squeaked and promptly stood up, clearly intent on putting some distance between herself and the table.

"No, thank you." Regina said, eyes never leaving August's.

The game continued, and there was a point where Regina thought she might win, but soon enough, her luck began to turn and she reached a whole new level of anger.

"August, I swear to god." She hissed. She was losing now, there was no denying it. She didn't know how it had happened but it was becoming clear that there was no way she could win.

Mary Margaret looked between Regina and the glass in front of her before silently moving it out of her reach.

August was giving as good as he got, winding Regina up further and reveling in her fury. He was decidedly smug at this moment and it made Regina want to slap the smirk right off his face.

"You're going down, Regina." August chuckled. "Just accept defeat."

"Never."

A couple of rounds later and Regina was practically vibrating with anger. Mary Margaret and David observed her with expressions that were a mixture of both nervous and alarmed.

It was Regina's turn to roll again now. She landed on 'chance' and everyone waited with bated breath for the chaos to reach its peak as she lifted a card from the top of the pile.

"Make repairs?!" Regina shrieked. She was on the verge of bankruptcy and definitely couldn't afford to be doing that. She was going to lose.

She thrust the game away from her in frustration, board flipping over and pieces clattering to the floor as she mumbled every swear word she could think of.

"Guess that means I win." August said casually.

She fixed him with a deadly look and leaned across the table, ready to utterly destroy him, only to be stopped by an arm across her chest.

"I think that's enough Monopoly for now." Emma said calmly. "Great game, guys. Regina, let's go get a cookie."

"Fine." The brunette spat, following her into the kitchen but not without throwing August one final glare over her shoulder.

Emma retrieved the cookie jar from the shelf and turned to a scowling Regina who was stood in the doorway, arms folded.

"Oreo?"

"No, thanks."

Emma shrugged and bit into her own cookie, chuckling around a mouthful of it as she observed the brunette.

"What's so funny?" Regina narrowed her eyes.

"You."

"Me? Why?"

"You're cute when you're angry."

"I thought I was scary." Regina frowned.

"You're a lot of things." Emma replied nonchalantly, giving a small shrug.

Regina's frown deepened. What on Earth was that supposed to mean?

"Do you wanna go for a drink?" Emma asked and the abrupt change of subject made Regina pause. She blinked.

"You look like you need it." Emma explained with a laugh. "I know a place that'll still be open on Christmas Eve, you in?"

"Okay." Regina agreed easily, not having any idea what she had just signed herself up for.

* * *

Later that evening, the two of them ended up at a bar in the city. It was a relatively small place and was split into two levels with a more relaxed lounge area upstairs and a dancefloor taking up the majority of the main floor. It was also busier than they had anticipated but the music was good and the drinks were cheap.

Regina was already three gin and tonics deep and that, along with the tequila shots they had done together, was enough to get her well on her way to being drunk. The buzz she was feeling must have been obvious by her expression because Emma was regarding her with a knowing look.

"Feeling better now?" She asked.

"Much." Regina nodded, lowering her glass and wiping remnants of gin from her lips as politely as she could.

"You got pretty into that game earlier, huh?"

Regina paused, thumb against her lip, and winced.

"Sorry about that." She said, color rising in her cheeks. "I hope I didn't make a total fool of myself."

Emma shook her head quickly.

"It's fine, honestly." She reassured the brunette. "I mean, I think the others might be kinda terrified of you now but that's not a bad thing."

"No, it's not." Regina chuckled.

Emma observed her with a gentle smile and Regina wished she could blame her racing heart on the alcohol but it was becoming clear that this was her body's response to Emma's soft gaze in any situation.

There was something about the way Emma looked tonight though that had Regina feeling even more drawn to her. Perhaps it was the way she had curled that beautiful, blonde hair, or the combination of the skin-tight black jeans and white shirt, sleeves rolled and first few buttons undone. Seeing Emma enter the room in that outfit with a pair of black heels on had felt like a punch to the gut, stealing the air from her lungs.

She was too swept up in the excitement of going out, the pounding music, and now the rush of the drinks she had consumed, to even begin to unpack what any of it meant, however, so instead she simply sat and enjoyed the way her skin prickled under Emma's gaze.

Regina didn't know what compelled her to voice any of those musings aloud but as she watched Emma watch her, the words were suddenly rolling off her tongue without her permission.

"You look good tonight." She said honestly. "Really good."

Emma blinked. Her delicate expression was replaced by one of slight surprise, which melded into confusion, before she quickly schooled her features into a casual smile.

"Thanks." She replied. "So do you. That dress looks incredible on you."

"Thank you."

Emma nodded in acknowledgment, failing to conceal the faint puzzlement beneath her confident exterior as she continued to observe Regina, sipping her drink intermittently.

The blonde's eyes drifted down her face to her throat and then to her collarbones, which were completely exposed, besides the gold jewelry hanging from her neck, since the dress she was wearing was a red off the shoulder piece. Emma's eyes didn't stop there, however, travelling down and down across her chest and stomach to her thighs. Her dress had ridden up from where she had been sat with her legs crossed and the bare skin felt hot beneath Emma's gaze.

It should've felt uncomfortable to be observed this intensely, to have someone blatantly look her up and down as if they were trying to commit every inch of her to memory. With Emma, however, it made her insides turn to liquid, her pulse coming fast and hard against her ribs, and when Emma's eyes finally snapped back up to Regina's own, they were wider and darker, and the sight of it made the brunette shudder.

It was then that Regina realized how closely they were sitting. They had decided to begin their evening in the lounge area, with Regina telling Emma that she might brave the dance floor after enough drinks but there were to be no promises, so they had ended up on a small couch against the wall.

Regina was pretty sure there had been a gap between them when they first sat down but somehow, they had shifted towards each other and now their thighs were less than an inch away from touching. Emma's face was so close to hers, Regina felt herself almost swaying, aware that if she leaned in just a fraction, their lips could-

"Regina."

A voice from behind her made her start, whipping her head around to face the interruption.

"Mal?" She said, equal parts confused and pleasantly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

She knew her friend was from Portland but it was still odd to bump into her.

"I could ask you the same thing." The blonde smirked. "May I?"

She gestured to the spot beside Regina and the brunette nodded. There was plenty of space now that she was sat practically on top of Emma.

As the girl took a seat beside her, that signature slightly bemused, smug expression never faltering, Regina tried to calm her racing heart after the whiplash she'd just experienced.

She gestured between the two blondes, glancing at them both.

"Mal, this is my roommate Emma." She explained, forcing some confidence into her voice despite the fact that if she looked down at her hands, she was sure she'd see them shaking. "Emma, Mal."

A beat.

"Oh, I know who she is." Emma scoffed.

Regina frowned and turned to her roommate, looking at her properly for the first time since Mal had appeared. What she saw made her brows shoot up.

While Emma's thigh was still beside hers, the blonde was now leaning back, reclining against the couch with that air of cockiness which set Regina alight. More importantly, however, she was glaring daggers at Mal, eyes flashing dangerously. Regina didn't think she'd ever seen such a look on her face and it sent an immediate shiver down her spine.

She opened her mouth to speak but she was quickly cut off by Emma.

"And how do you two know each other?" She nodded at the other two women, her eyes never softening, never leaving Mal.

"We had a class together in Freshman year-."

"Anthropology." Mal supplied, leaning forwards as she spoke. Emma's eyes narrowed.

"That's right." Regina continued. "We ended up staying friends after that, although I must admit we haven't seen each other in a while."

"We've got a lot of catching up to do." Mal drawled. She chuckled and the sound was deep and rich, as her voice always was.

Regina nodded, smiling politely. She turned to Emma, who was so visibly irate, the brunette was surprised she didn't have actual steam shooting out of her ears.

"Lovely." The blonde said with a tight, and obviously forced, smile.

Regina's brow furrowed once more. Why was Emma so furious? Mal seemed like a good person and had always been kind and attentive towards Regina. The brunette wondered what on earth possessed Emma to have such a strong aversion towards the other blonde.

Mal, who must have been aware of Emma's irritation but chose to ignore it, continued talking to Regina after that. They did have a lot of catching up to do after all and Mal seemed intrigued to find out what Regina had been up to over the past few months.

As they spoke, Regina could feel the anger radiating off of Emma. Her body was rigid and she hadn't said a word. It was beginning to worry Regina, confusion becoming concern, and while Mal was in the midst of telling her a story about her French class, the brunette turned her gaze to her roommate.

Gently, she laid a hand on the blonde's thigh, squeezing ever so slightly to get her attention. Emma immediately blinked, harsh glare replaced for a moment by something different as she met Regina's eyes.

Regina smiled kindly and was relieved when Emma returned the expression, her face softening.

Feeling more at ease, Regina turned back to Mal. Her hand remained on Emma's thigh and, after a moment, the blonde placed her own hand atop Regina's.

"I heard you were at the Phi Psi party at Halloween." Mal said a few minutes later and Regina wasn't sure how they had ended up here, not paying full attention to the blonde in front of her, more concerned with the one behind her, who was now sat up again, her shoulder leaning against Regina's.

"I was indeed." Regina replied. "How did you know?"

"A little birdie told me." Mal smirked. At Regina's frown, she clarified. "Robin."

"Oh. Right." Regina had almost forgotten about him.

"He said you broke his heart. You cruel, cruel girl." Mal joked, throwing the brunette a wink.

Regina laughed.

"Where were you that night? I didn't see you."

Regina abruptly remembered that despite Mal not seeing her, she _had_ seen the blonde. That had been moments before she witnessed Emma sticking her tongue down a girl's throat. God, it still made her stomach twist but she couldn't think about this right now, not when she had just finished another drink and the edges of her vision were starting to become hazy.

"Mostly with Kathryn." Regina explained. "Drinking. A lot."

Mal smiled wryly.

"You always were a bad girl, Regina."

Regina chuckled.

"The worst."

Emma's muscles stiffened beneath her palm. She was angry again.

"Who did you go as?" Mal asked.

"Catwoman." Regina replied with a smug smile. Despite the hideous, drunken memories associated with that outfit, she had grown to like it, especially after Emma's compliments.

"Oh wow." Mal shook her head with a dark chuckle. "I feel like I missed out. I would've loved to have seen you in that."

Apparently, Emma had reached her breaking point because at that, she shoved Regina's hand from her leg and stood up. Her eyes were dark and blazing, her lips drawn into a tight grimace. Regina jumped as the blonde slammed her glass down on the table with such a force that the brunette was surprised it didn't smash.

"Excuse me." She said.

And then she was storming off towards the nearest bar, leaving Regina reeling.

She turned to Mal, her mouth opening and closing dumbly.

"Sorry, I-."

Mal held up a hand, smirk curling at the corners of her lips.

"It's fine. Go."

Regina nodded and immediately jumped to her feet, striding across the room towards the blonde.

"What the hell was that?" She asked as she came to stand behind her, her voice raised with an anger she hadn't seen coming.

Emma didn't turn around, instead she leaned across the bar and called to the bartender for another couple of tequila shots. Being ignored only increased the brunette's rage and she huffed indignantly, standing firm in her stilettos.

"Emma, will you listen to me?" She snapped. "What is wrong with you tonight?"

Emma spun around at that, her face a picture of fury.

"Me?!"

"Yes, you." Regina replied sharply. "You've been acting funny ever since Mal got here and now you're making a scene and I don't get it. Did something happen between you two?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Emma muttered, turning back to the bar to pay for her drinks.

"Yes, Emma. I would very much like to know." She retorted.

Emma rolled her eyes and took the two tequila shots from the counter, handing one to Regina. Without hesitation, they simultaneously threw them back. They didn't bother with the salt or lime.

"You do realize she's flirting with you." Emma said, causing Regina to almost drop her shot glass.

"I'm sorry?"

"Mal. She's flirting with you."

Regina scoffed.

"Don't be absurd, Emma."

Then there was a warm hand on Regina's arm and Emma was dragging her away from the bar.

"You wanna know why I'm annoyed?" The blonde said once they were away from the crowd.

"Yes, please." Regina sighed, frustrated. "Enlighten me."

"Mal's a heartbreaker, Regina. An actual womanizer."

"And what does that make you?" Regina countered.

"It's different."

"Right."

"Do you wanna know or not?" Emma asked, anger slipping back into her voice.

"Fine."

"Every lesbian round here knows about her. She's dangerous, Regina. Do you not see it in her eyes? Hear it in her voice?"

"Stop it, Emma. She's a nice girl."

"Regina." Emma's voice was sharp.

Regina ignored her and continued.

"This doesn't even explain why you're so angry." She shook her head, not following Emma's explanation. "It's not like she's a threat to you."

Emma's lips parted as if she were about to speak again but she quickly stopped herself, jaw snapping shut.

"What?" Regina asked.

"Nothing."

"What is it?" Regina pressed, wondering what it was that the blonde felt she couldn't say.

Emma just stared at her for a moment and then it was like something within her shifted.

"Dance with me."

"Huh?"

Emma's habit of changing the subject so rapidly was something she still hadn't gotten used to.

"Dance with me." Emma repeated and then her fingers were intertwining with Regina's and the brunette was being pulled along again, this time down the stairs to the dancefloor.

* * *

As it happened, the blonde was terrible at dancing. For someone so athletic, the way she moved her supple limbs left much to be desired. Regina couldn't suppress her giggling, the sound coming bubbling out of her at the sight, both their anger long forgotten.

The brunette grinned and leaned in.

"I've finally found something you're not good at." She said, the smirk evident in her voice, which she was raising to be heard over the music.

When she pulled away, Emma was laughing too.

"You think you can do better than this?" The blonde shouted, her limbs flailing. She danced like a suburban dad at a barbeque.

"Absolutely." Regina nodded firmly.

"Let's see you try then."

"You're on, Swan."

Emma raised an eyebrow in challenge but Regina knew she was up to the task. She was at that level of drunk where her reservations started to disappear, giving her more confidence than she usually had. She was a good dancer on a bad day but tonight, with the alcohol and challenging glint in Emma's eye fueling her, she was ready to put on show.

To begin with, she simply moved her hips from side to side, twisting them in perfect rhythm. Then, she began to use her arms. She trailed her palms up her thighs and waist before raising them, twisting them in her hair. As she moved her body to the beat of the music, hips swaying, fingers running across her chest, she chanced a look at her audience.

Emma was stood completely still, eyes wide and following each and every movement, her lips parted in what looked to be shock, or even awe. The corners of Regina's mouth curved upwards, her expression cocky. When the blonde's gaze finally met hers, she saw that her eyes were not only wide but glazed, almost like she was hypnotized.

It appealed to something deep within Regina, spurring her on. She smiled and dragged her bottom lip between her teeth. At that, Emma took a step forward, running her tongue over her own lips in an action that had Regina's stomach clenching.

As Regina continued to writhe her hips, it was like some invisible force were pulling her towards Emma, she couldn't have held herself back if she tried. Having Emma watch her, fix her with that look, it was addictive.

Before she knew what was happening, she was chest to chest with the blonde, wrapping her arms around her neck. Instinctively, Emma's hands fell to her waist, tugging her impossibly closer and causing the brunette to release a, hopefully imperceptible, whimper.

It was confusing. The feelings that were being unleashed, the seemingly primal urge to affect Emma, to maintain that look her eye that had now become fierce, determined. As perplexing as it was, there was no way in hell she wanted it to stop. Instead, she pressed her hips further into Emma and let her nails scrape against the base of those blonde curls.

Now that they were standing so close, the small amount of height Emma had over Regina was more obvious and it made heat pool in her stomach. The blonde leaned down, Regina's heart leaping as she brought her face closer, and placed her lips beside her ear.

"You weren't lying." She said lowly. The brush of skin against the shell of Regina's ear as she spoke made her shiver. "You're good at this."

And then Emma was turning her around, hands immediately finding her waist again, and Regina pushed herself backwards, her back flush against the blonde's front. This position felt more intimate somehow, especially when Regina reached up and placed a palm against the back of Emma's neck, feeling the blonde's breath coming hot and heavy against her ear.

She was almost grinding her hips now, pressing them backwards into Emma's pelvis. Her heart was beating faster and faster and the heat in her stomach was dropping lower with each passing minute.

When Emma began to move her hands, running them up Regina's sides and across her stomach, the brunette found herself fighting to suppress a moan. An unmistakable throb was beginning to form between her thighs. The feeling of strong arms wrapped around her body, curls tickling against her shoulders and hips cradling her ass was almost too much to bear. What was Emma _doing_ to her?

"Emma." She breathed. It wasn't an instruction to stop. She wasn't sure what it was. The word seemed to just slip past her lips as she unraveled.

At that moment, she happened to land upon Emma's thigh and the resulting sensation caused her to gasp. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to calm down. If that happened again, Regina was afraid of how her body might react, it was already teetering on the edge of _something_.

With Emma's body still draped around hers, however, it was impossible to compose herself.

"Emma." She said again, this time deliberately. "I need-." She swallowed another moan. "I need to use the restroom."

The blonde released her at once and she flashed her a grateful smile before hurrying away as fast as her heels could take her.

* * *

The restroom was busy, bustling with girls who had drinks in their hands and Santa hats on their heads. Apparently, her and Emma had missed that memo.

Emma. Whose touch she could still feel burning into her skin.

She inhaled sharply and pushed herself past the hoards of giggling women with a murmuring of "excuse me" until she finally reached an empty stall. As soon as she locked the door behind her, her head fell back against it and a heavy breath came rushing out of her. She could feel her hands trembling by her sides and she lifted one up to place against her stomach, which heaved with each shaky inhale.

This reaction she was having wasn't normal. She hadn't ever felt so worked up, so lost in someone, so full of want. And for the cause of it to be Emma Swan of all people. It didn't make any sense. Perhaps it would be best to leave it for her sober self to figure out, her drunk self needed to focus on remembering how to breathe properly.

She closed her eyes, tried to think of anything that wasn't blonde curls. Inhale. Exhale.

Once her heart had slowed to a more regular pace, she gently blinked back to reality. Someone was pounding on the door, asking her to hurry up. She took another deep breath for good measure and then pushed herself away from the door. A girl barged straight past her as soon as she unlocked it, yelling her thanks, and Regina briskly moved out of the way and stepped towards the sinks.

The sight staring back at her as she approached the mirror was one she wasn't expecting, although she probably should have been. Her hair was wild, the neat waves now a mess, her lipstick was faded from the amount of gin and tequila that had passed her lips, and her skin was flushed, even after she had spent a good five or ten minutes trying to collect herself.

She ran her fingers through her hair to tame it and then reached into her bag for her lipstick, which she reapplied as carefully as she could with unsteady hands. That would have to do.

* * *

Emma was waiting for her outside the bathroom and the sight of her leaning against the wall, one leg folded beneath her, threatened to send Regina spiraling once again. She flexed her fingers at her sides and moved towards the blonde.

"Hey."

"Hey." Emma replied, smiling when she saw the brunette. "Everything okay?"

Regina nodded, not trusting her voice to sound convincing.

"Do you wanna head back?" Emma asked, placing her foot back on the ground and moving towards Regina. "I'm kinda beat but we can stay for longer if you want."

"Heading back sounds good." Regina nodded again.

Now that Emma had mentioned it, she realized just how exhausted she was. It had been a strange day. She was looking forward to getting into bed and sleeping this whole thing off.

"Okay." Emma said and held out a hand for Regina to take. "Shall we then?"

Regina smiled and slipped her fingers through the blonde's.

"Let's go home."

 **A/N: Thanks as always for the love! Again, just a reminder that updates may not be regular from now on and a reminder to go follow me on twitter (lovesicksapphic).**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'M BACK! FINALLY! I'm so sorry it's taken so long, I've been a terrible combination of busy and demotivated and writing was at the bottom of my priority list. Thank you all so much for your patience, it means a lot that you've all stuck by me! I really hope you enjoy this chapter x**

Christmas Day in Emma's family was an event. It appeared Mary Margaret might just be the only person who could out-do Regina's mother when it came to the festive season. The Mills household might have a ten foot tree and silverware so pristine it felt almost wrong to use but the Swans had the one thing they were missing. Christmas cheer.

Emma had warned Regina it would be full on and Regina, based on her experience with Mary Margaret to date, had set some fairly solid expectations, but the walking Hallmark greeting card managed to beat them by a mile.

Regina was used to Christmas being a quiet affair. Sure, the decorations were excessive and the gifts were expensive, but the day was a small and fairly formal event; just her mother, father, sister and herself gathered in the living room and later around the large table in the dining room. In comparison, the word 'quiet' didn't seem to appear in Mary Margaret's vocabulary.

The house had been beautifully decorated when Regina arrived a few days ago but while her and Emma were out last night, it appeared the blonde's parents had taken their festive spirit to the next level. There was mistletoe hanging in doorways, tinsel thrown across the banisters, a collection of Santa statues scattered across various surfaces, and overflowing stockings by the fire.

All of this was of course yet to be discovered by a newly awakened Regina. In fact, when Regina awoke that Christmas morning, there was only one thing on her mind. She was very very hungover. Her palms rubbed against tired eyes and with a groan, she rolled over to face the body she could sense was beside her.

Emma was sprawled out on her stomach beneath the covers, one hand resting beneath her forehead and the other thrown across the bed, blonde curls draped messily across her naked shoulders. Wait. Naked shoulders. Her shoulders were naked.

And just like that, there were suddenly two things on Regina's mind.

The panic rose in her chest, the existing throb behind her eyes pounding harder as she desperately tried to recall what had happened last night after they left the club. She turned onto her back, a palm pressed against her ribs, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling as she rifled through memory after memory.

Emma leading her outside, Emma ordering them a cab, Emma offering her a jacket, thankfully not the red pleather this time, Emma joking about said red pleather, the cab pulling up, Emma opening the door for her. A full picture of the night was starting to come together as she raced through each scene playing in her mind.

"Morning." Came a voice from beside her.

Regina froze, the tornado of thoughts swirling inside her head screeching to a halt. She turned and made eye contact with the blonde who was now awake and laying on her side facing Regina.

"Are you okay?" Emma frowned, clearly noticing the brunette's panic-stricken expression.

Regina's eyes drifted down to the exposed skin of Emma's collarbones and those worryingly nude shoulders. She swallowed tightly, clamping her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment before speaking.

"Did anything... happen last night?"

Emma blinked. She looked at Regina expectantly. Regina, who really did not want to elaborate any further than that.

"Anything..." She hesitated, unsure how to put it delicately, her eyes dropping to pale, bare skin once more. "With us."

This time, Emma followed her gaze and the penny finally dropped. Her eyes bulged before she quickly squeezed them shut, shaking her head furiously.

"No, Regina. God, no." She sputtered and okay, she didn't have to sound quite so repulsed by the idea. "Nothing happened, I promise."

"Then why...?" Regina, slightly wounded but otherwise deeply relieved, gestured to the nude body peeking out from beneath the sheets, the question not needing to be finished.

"It's these dumb straps." Emma mumbled as she scrambled under the covers to find them and raise them back into position. "I just picked out the first top I saw last night and it was this stupid one with loose, thin straps that always fall down."

She slid them back into place across her shoulders and gave Regina an uneasy smile.

"See? I'm decent, I promise. No funny business."

"I see." Regina nodded. She forced a chuckle to try to break the tension that had descended upon them. "Thank god, right? That would've been weird."

"Right." Emma joined in the awkward laughter. "Definitely weird."

The confirmation that it was just a misunderstanding brought on by too much alcohol and a wardrobe malfunction put Regina's mind at ease. She wouldn't have wanted something to happen between her and Emma like this. Or at all, she quickly amended.

"Merry Christmas." Emma said, pulling Regina from her thoughts. She always was the expert in a tactical change of subject.

"Merry Christmas." Regina smiled.

* * *

After inhaling a stack of pancakes, a few aspirin, and a gallon of water, Regina began to feel slightly more alive. However, Mary Margaret's shrill voice announcing that it was time for the second item on the day's agenda, breakfast being the first, still managed to cut right through her fragile form and she winced at the sound, clutching her steaming mug of coffee a little tighter. The woman ushered Regina into the living room, the whole family still clad in their pajamas, and thus began the gift giving event.

Mary Margaret sprang into action first, her excitement struggling to be contained as she dived under the tree. She emerged with an armful of gifts, placing them in front of Emma before doing the same for August, David and herself. Then she unexpectedly placed two small, neatly-wrapped parcels in front of Regina.

"David and I got you a little something." Mary Margaret explained as confusion flitted across the brunette's face. "So that you wouldn't feel left out."

"Oh." Regina said. "That's… that's very thoughtful. Thank you."

She smiled tightly, fighting against an odd stinging sensation in her eyes. Annoying though the woman may often be, Regina couldn't help but feel touched by the gesture.

Mary Margaret met her eyes for a brief moment and returned the smile with a gentle nod, the acknowledgement unspoken.

"Alright." She announced, turning to Emma. "You start, sweetheart."

As the morning progressed, gift wrap was torn, ribbon was undone, hugs were given and, in the case of David and Mary Margaret, sickeningly sweet kisses were shared. Regina tried not to show her repulsion too visibly, however, as they had been kind enough to gift her a set of bath products and some fluffy socks. She put the latter on immediately, much to the delight of Emma, who smirked and told her she looked cute as a button. Naturally, Regina kicked her with a sock covered foot in response.

Eventually, when Mary Margaret and David had left to begin preparing lunch and August was tidying away the piles of shed gift wrap, Regina turned to Emma to make a confession. She chewed her lip, overcome with nerves all of a sudden.

"I got something for you." She said quietly once the others were out of earshot. "It's upstairs. Wait here?"

"Sure." Emma nodded.

Her expression was unreadable but she gave Regina's hand a quick reassuring squeeze before the brunette got to her feet.

Emma's gift was at the bottom of her case beneath enough clothes to last any normal person at least 3 weeks. She retrieved it carefully, making sure not to disrupt the neatly folded items, and then stood, pausing for a moment to compose herself. When she'd bought it, she'd thought it was a lovely idea and now she wasn't so sure. She just hoped Emma liked it.

"Here." Regina said as she handed it over, settling herself back down on the couch beside Emma.

The blonde turned the parcel over in her hands as if trying to work out what it was.

"Can I?" She asked, running her finger beneath the ribbon.

"Please."

Emma opened the gift with caution, far more slowly than she had opened any of her others, Regina observed. She undid the ribbon and gently peeled the tape, letting it fall open in her lap. When she finally realised what it was, she gasped softly.

"Regina." She breathed. Carefully, she lifted it up, allowing them both to look at it properly.

It was a jacket, a bright red jacket just like her infamous one, but real leather this time. The stitching was immaculate, the color vibrant and the buttons shiny. It had been expensive and Regina had been forced to dip into her savings to afford it but once she saw it, she couldn't walk out of the store without it. It was worth it for Emma, she reasoned.

"Regina." Emma repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't accept this, this is too much."

"Do you like it?" The brunette asked.

Emma turned to her with wide eyes and stammered, shaking her head more frantically.

"I- I love it. God, Regina, it's beautiful."

"Then I want you to have it." Regina replied simply.

"But-."

"Emma." Regina interrupted. "If you're going to insist on wearing that hideous color, I'd rather it at least be a nice style."

"Reg-."

"And." Regina continued, ignoring Emma's protests. "If I ever find myself needing to borrow your jacket again, the experience won't be as unpleasant."

Emma paused at that. She hummed in thought.

"So, what you're saying is... this is really for you." She spoke slowly. "So that I don't offend you as much."

"Precisely."

The blonde raised a brow, clearly not believing for a single second that it was an entirely selfish gift.

"I see."

There was a moment of silence and Regina wasn't sure if she had gone too far but then Emma's lips curved into a smile and she placed a gentle hand on the brunette's thigh.

"Thank you." She said, her gaze meeting Regina's with such sincerity that it made Regina falter for a moment, her chest tight.

"You're welcome." She whispered and pressed her lips into a smile.

"I actually have something for you too." Emma said after a beat, breaking the silence they had fallen into once again. Regina shook herself and sat up straighter. "Just something small."

The brunette watched on, intrigued, as Emma reached beneath the tree to retrieve one last little box that Regina hadn't even noticed was left.

She held it out to Regina, who took it from her carefully, holding the slim box between her fingers. Emma watched on with a nervous, hopeful smile that did something to Regina's insides. She cursed herself for being so overwhelmed, she hadn't even opened the gift yet.

Under Emma's apprehensive gaze, Regina slid the ribbon from the box and lifted the lid. She was unsure what she had been expecting but this somehow blew any expectations she'd had out of the water.

"Emma, it's beautiful." She said softly, blinking back the tears that had sprung to her eyes. "I love it."

Delicately, she traced a finger over the silver chain, across the tiny links until she reached the lilac pendant encircled by smaller, silver gems.

"It's amethyst." Emma explained. "Your birthstone, right? February 1st?"

Regina nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak.

"You told me once when I was doing one of my get-to-know-Regina sessions." Emma smiled as she joked. "There are benefits to my annoying, persistent questioning, you see."

Her eyes were sparkling in that mischievous way that was oh so familiar to Regina now. The brunette gave a watery chuckle and subtly wiped at her eyes. She was grateful for Emma's lightheartedness, the comment pulling her back the depths of sincerity onto the sturdier shores of bantering, where she felt much more comfortable.

"I suppose I'll forgive all that pestering then." Regina smiled wryly. She looked down at the jewelry in her palm and back up at the blonde. "Since it was ultimately for a good cause."

"Precisely." Emma said, echoing Regina's earlier reply.

Regina smirked at the deliberate repetition and shook her head at the blonde as she turned her attention back to the necklace. She gently lifted it free from the cushion it was placed on, feeling the weight of the small pendant resting on her palm.

"Do you wanna put it on?" Emma asked, gesturing to the purple stone.

Regina nodded without hesitation and pinched each end of the clasp between her index fingers and thumbs.

"Here, let me." Emma shuffled closer, placing a hand on Regina's forearm.

With a quiet 'okay', a slightly taken aback Regina handed the necklace over to Emma, who held it carefully just as the brunette had.

"Turn around." Emma instructed with a jerk of her head.

Regina complied and spun around on the couch so that her back was to the blonde. She swept her dark hair to the side and tilted her head forwards, a prickling sensation teasing at her nerves as she felt Emma move closer behind her.

As Emma's fingers fiddled with the clasp, the sensation only increased. The brushing of the blonde's fingers over the nape of her neck had electricity running up Regina's spine and she prayed Emma didn't notice her shiver.

"All done." Emma whispered. Her voice was closer than Regina anticipated, the soft breath against her ear making her shudder once more.

Regina let go of her hair and placed a hand over the pendant on her chest. She turned back around to face Emma, who was smiling brightly.

"Beautiful." She said. She wasn't looking at the necklace.

* * *

It was much later on in the day and Regina was full of warmth, food, and wine. She had kept her necklace on all day, pairing it with a black dress before she sat down for the lunch that everyone had helped to prepare. The jewelry felt solid against her chest and she occasionally caught herself touching it with an absent smile on her lips. That's what she found herself doing now, leaning against the doorway between the living room and kitchen.

The Christmas cheer in the house had only increased throughout the day, with a few of David and Mary Margaret's friends coming over to join in the evening's activities. There was Christmas music playing, snack after snack being passed round, alcohol pouring, and an NFL game playing on the television (on mute, much to the dismay of David.) Regina watched on from her position at the side of the room as Emma flitted between the guests, a mega-watt grin on her face and a glass of prosecco in her hand.

The blonde was dressed more feminine than Regina had ever seen her but was still utterly stunning. Her lips were originally painted a deep scarlet but the color had faded with each sip of her drink until it was a muted red to match the flush of her cheeks. Her dress was short and black like Regina's but with a high neck, whereas the brunette's was cut low. It was also a striking leather and clung to her in all the right places, though Regina tried not to notice that part. It was so unfamiliar to see her in such an outfit but at the same time, it was so _her_ that there wasn't a single second Regina questioned whether the blonde suited such a look. Regina almost resented the fact that she looked so gorgeous in every style of dress.

When Emma finished her conversation with one of their visitors, she turned to briefly scope the room. Her eyes caught Regina's across the room and she smiled even wider than before, giving her a little wave, which Regina returned, swallowing down the rush of warmth that flooded her body. She _had_ to stop drinking around this woman.

For a second, Regina allowed herself to indulge in dangerous thoughts. Thoughts that Emma was adorable, that Regina wanted her all to herself, that she wanted her closer and closer and-

Panic instantly shut down that line of thinking as Emma did start to move closer, crossing the room towards a frozen Regina.

"Hey." Emma said, taking the brunette's hands in hers. "Everything okay?"

Regina nodded, head bobbing quickly as if to shake herself.

"I'm fine." She smiled and squeezed Emma's hands. "Thank you."

"Good. I'm-."

"Excuse me, girls! Sorry!" Mary Margaret sing-songed as she walked between them out of the kitchen, forcing them to drop their hands. Alcohol apparently helped her to achieve levels of merriment that Regina was unaware even existed.

Emma retreated to the other side of the doorframe, mirroring Regina's stance, in order to allow her mother to pass.

"You were saying?" Regina asked once they were alone again.

"Right." Emma nodded, determined. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for abandoning you tonight. My mom wanted me to do the rounds and there are some people here I haven't seen in a while. I hope you haven't been too lonely over here?"

"No, no, not at all!" Regina rushed to reassure her. "I'm fine honestly. I had a lovely conversation with August and then I've been getting acquainted with this Merlot." She lifted her empty glass with a raise of her brow. "She's rather lovely."

"Replaced already." Emma sighed wistfully, raising a hand to her heart and hanging her head.

"Do get over yourself." Regina rolled her eyes but there was no malice in her tone.

Emma looked up and fixed her with a playful grin.

"I'm kidding. As if anyone could ever replace me."

Regina merely smirked, too afraid to admit just how much that had come to be true.

"You're having a good time then?" Emma asked, clearly still concerned that Regina was not.

"I am." The brunette smiled, sincerer this time. "Thank you again for letting me stay this week, I've had a wonderful time. Your parents really know how to do Christmas."

"They do." Emma nodded. Her expression became slightly softer. "My parents knew that Christmas used to be a hard time for me in the foster system, I never got gifts or celebrated at all really so when I came here, they really made an effort. It's nice."

It made sense to Regina. That their enthusiasm for the holiday season was an attempt to make up for all those years lost and ensure Emma never had a lonely Christmas again. The explanation made Mary Margaret's over-the-top excitement seem sweet, moving in fact.

"That's lovely." Regina replied. "I'm so glad you found each other."

"Me too." Emma smiled.

Emma turned her attention away from Regina and looked out onto the scene before them, sipping at her drink intermittently. Regina observed her, watching her sway slightly to the music, her throat rippling with each swallow. It was so easy to get caught up in simply looking at her, to get lost in her, to follow each and every movement with wandering eyes. She was mesmerizing.

Regina felt herself being pulled towards Emma, that invisible force back again, her heart beating firmly in her chest as she fought the urge to close the distance.

Fortunately, her view was obscured for a second and that was enough to break the trance.

"Hey, August." Emma said, turning to watch him move past into the kitchen. "What'cha drinking?"

"Eggnog." He replied, retrieving the carton from the refrigerator with a cheeky grin.

"Ahhh." Emma chuckled. "A classic."

August gestured to Regina's empty glass.

"More wine?"

The brunette tilted her head to the side in deliberation. On the one hand, her drunk self was not to be trusted around Emma after last night but on the other hand, it was Christmas.

"Sure."

August topped her up with some more Merlot and the three of them clinked their glasses with a laugh and a 'cheers!' before each tipping their heads back, respective drinks in hand. Emma immediately coughed and spluttered and sniffled, shaking her head frantically.

"Bubbles in my nose." She whined, which set Regina off into a fit of laughter. The two of them giggled and giggled, missing the way August playfully rolled his eyes, but not missing his departing comment.

"You might wanna look up, by the way."

Naturally, they both glanced upwards and Regina's laughter instantly subsided at what she saw. She swallowed, throat dry.

"Mistletoe." Emma observed in a whisper.

Regina mentally retracted all of her previous musings about how sweet Emma's parents were. Damn Mary Margaret and damn her stupid decorations.

Emma's eyes met Regina's and the silence that ensued was deafening. Regina blinked, gaze flitting between Emma's slightly darkened eyes and those faded red lips. That pull she felt towards the blonde was a painful tug now and she could feel herself swaying forwards. Her skin was burning, her body hot from the inside out, longing for _something_.

She looked up at the mistletoe again. Should they? It was only a silly tradition after all. It's not like it meant anything. Her eyes drifted shut, psyching herself up, and then there was a gentle press against her lips, a softness unlike anything else. It was brief, gone all too soon, and Regina's eyes flashed open at the loss.

Across from her, Emma was smiling, the faintest of pinks coloring her cheeks.

"Merry Christmas, Regina."

 **A/N: Thank you again for your patience! I'm not sure when I'll get round to writing the next chapter but I will endeavour to do my best. All your comments/reviews/DMs/tweets make me so happy and encourage me to stick with it so thank you, thank you, thank you! Please keep the feedback coming! And go follow me on twitter (lovesicksapphic)!**


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